Food regulator reviewing GM potato for use within Australia

Australia's food regulator has called for submissions as it reviews a genetically-modified potato designed to produce less chemicals when fried.

United States authorities approved the potato, called Innate, for growing and processing last year.

Produced by Simplot, SPC International, it has been transformed by genetic modification (GM) to reduce a by-product chemical called acrylamide, which has been linked to cancer in laboratory animals.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has given the public until the end of September to make a submission.

FSANZ will then complete its review and make a recommendation to the Federal Government next year.

The authority has already assessed the potato as "safe" in testing, where a russet burbank potato was used in testing.

"The DNA that has been added is from the potato itself, or from a closely-related potato species," FSANZ chief executive Steve McCutcheon said.

"There are no new proteins that have been introduced. It's reducing the expression of four of the potato's own genes."

Western diets prompt need for changes

Gary Kennedy, a food technology expert with Correct Food Systems, said processors, while catering to the western diet, are under pressure to remove acrylamide.

"There have been links to higher levels of cancer in western foods, to foods containing high levels of acyrlamide.

"It hasn't been proven that higher levels of acrylamide cause cancer, but that's the theory.

"[Acrylamide is] also produced in processes like barbequing, smoking in smoke-houses [and] toasting bread can cause this chemical to form as well.

"The trend is going up, we're eating more fried foods [and] the acrylamide issue is very much a western diet issue, as I've said in the past.

"I don't think this is a problem in sub-Saharan Africa because they're not eating French fries there."

Bruising and food waste

Simplot says potato growers in the US lose around $300 million every year due to bruising.

University of Adelaide plant scientist Peter Langridge said it was common for plants, particularly apples and potatoes, to go brown.

But he said when that happened the plant becomes bitter.

Dr Langridge said the technology used to create the GM potato could be useful in other varieties.

"If it's a success then we'll probably see it go through most of the potato varieties because it offers significant advantages to consumers," he said.

"Not just those who are deep frying, but [it] also protects the potatoes from browning during transport."