Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is requesting for comment on an application to grant permission to food from a genetically modified (GM) canola.
Mark Booth, CEO of Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) stated- “The canola (MON94100) has been genetically modified to be safeguarded from the herbicide named dicamba.”
“This type of canola is mainly utilized to manufacture oil which would be produced overseas and imported into Australia and New Zealand. Other processed foods like canola meal may also potentially be imported,” Booth added.
Booth also informed- “The new arrangement includes the combined preparation and sharing of a single food safety assessment which is then utilized by each agency in designing their respective separate and independent assessment and judgment on whether or not to permit the canola.”
For this canola, the food safety assessment was prepared by Health Canada initially and then re-evaluated by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to make sure that it abides by all pertinent requirements for Australian and New Zealand purposes.
“Our analysis delineated no major public health and safety concerns and this canola is as safe as food from non-GM canola variants. To assist people in making clued up choices about the food they purchase, food from this canola would need to be tagged as ‘genetically modified’ if there was any new DNA and/or new proteins from the canola in the final food,” declared Booth.
What (FSANZ) decides will be intimated to ministers accountable for food regulation who can then appeal for a review or give consent to the standard making it a law legally.