Food Standards Australia New Zealand: Call for comment for food from herbicide-tolerant GM canola

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is calling for comment on an application to allow food from a genetically modified (GM) canola.

FSANZ CEO Mark Booth said the canola (MON94100) has been genetically modified to be protected from the herbicide dicamba.

'This type of canola is primarily used to produce oil which would be manufactured overseas and imported into Australia and New Zealand.

'Other processed foods such as canola meal may also potentially be imported,' Mr Booth said.

The application is the first to be accepted under a safety assessment sharing arrangement between FSANZ and Health Canada.

'The new arrangement involves the joint preparation and sharing of a single food safety assessment which is then used by each agency in making their own separate and independent assessment and decision on whether to allow the canola,' Mr Booth said.

'For this canola, the food safety assessment was initially prepared by Health Canada and then reviewed by FSANZ to ensure it meets all relevant requirements for Australian and New Zealand purposes.

'Our assessment found no potential public health and safety concerns and this canola is as safe as food from non-GM canola varieties.

'To help people make informed choices about the food they buy, food from this canola would need to be labelled as 'genetically modified' if there was any novel DNA and/or novel proteins from the canola in the final food.'

To have your say, see their call for comment page. Submissions close at 6pm (Canberra time) 1 March 2021.

Submissions will be published to their website as soon as possible after the end of the public comment period.

They will consider all feedback received through this submission process before making a decision on whether to approve the application.

FSANZ's decision will be notified to ministers responsible for food regulation who can ask for a review or agree that the standard should become law.

More information

How to make a submission

Read the assessment documents:  A1216 - GM Food derived from herbicide-tolerant canola line MON94100

Genetically modified foods

Canada and FSANZ working together on GM food safety