Proposal P1055 - Definitions for gene technology and new breeding techniques

Published

On 4 June 2025, the FSANZ Board approved Proposal P1055 to update definitions for genetically modified (GM) food in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Code).

Food ministers from Australia and New Zealand now have 60 days to consider FSANZ's decision.

The new definitions will maintain strong food safety protections while ensuring regulatory oversight remains proportionate to risk and supports safe innovation. They have been developed with input from stakeholders and the public to provide clarity and certainty for food businesses, regulators and consumers.

The definitions will apply across the Code and are designed to support consistent application of GM food assessment and labelling requirements.

Read our media statement

What’s changing?

  • New definitions: The outdated, process-based definition for ‘food produced using gene technology’ is being replaced with an outcome-based definition for ‘genetically modified food’. This will make it easier to determine what is a GM food.
  • Novel DNA: The new definition is based on the introduction of ‘novel DNA’ in an organism or cells. Genetic changes that occur naturally or from conventional breeding will not be captured as GM.
  • New Breeding Techniques: Foods made using new breeding techniques, like genome editing, won’t be classified as GM food if the genetic change doesn’t introduce novel DNA.

What’s not changing?

  • Approval of GM foods: Foods that are GM will continue to require an application to FSANZ for pre-market safety assessment and approval before they can be sold.
  • Labelling requirements: Approved GM foods will remain subject to GM labelling provisions in the Code.

Why this matters

  • Clarity and coverage: Existing definitions did not adequately address modern gene technologies, with potential for gaps in coverage or overregulation.
  • Fairness and certainty: Food businesses and enforcement agencies now have clearer rules to follow.
  • Public health and safety: Only GM foods that are assessed as safe can be sold.
  • Global alignment: The updated definitions better align with international regulatory approaches, including those in Canada, Japan and England. 

We released a first public call for submissions in 2021. Feedback from that consultation told us our initial approach to updating the definitions was too complex and unclear. After further work, we simplified the approach and released a revised proposal for public comment in 2024.

The second public call for submissions closed 10 September 2024. Submissions from this round, along with additional targeted consultation with stakeholders, informed our final proposal and the Board’s decision.

You can read our full assessment and the approved changes in the Approval Report for P1055.

Second call for submissions

Click here to view consultation papers and submissions.

First call for submissions

Submissions

Consumer research on new breeding techniques

To supplement the information gained through the consultation process, the following work was produced on consumer attitudes towards NBTs:

Expert Advisory Group

FSANZ established an Expert Advisory Group to provide expert technical advice to inform our assessment of this proposal.

Members

  • Dr Goetz Laible - AgResearch, New Zealand
  • Associate Prof. Rob Lanfear - Australian National University, Australia
  • Prof. Brian Priestly - Monash University, Australia
  • Prof. Joanna Putterill - The University of Auckland, New Zealand
  • Dr Mark Tizard - CSIRO Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness Australia

Former members

  • Dr Sally Symes - Victorian Dept. of Health & Human Services, Australia