Call for comment on food made from a GM corn line

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is calling for comment on an application to permit the sale and use of food made from a new genetically modified (GM) corn line.

Corn line MZIR260 is resistant to lepidopteran insect pests, including fall armyworm.

If approved, products containing corn line MZIR260 could enter the Australian and New Zealand food supply through imported food products such as corn starch, grits, meal, flour, oil and sweeteners.

In line with the established approval process for all GM foods, FSANZ conducted a safety assessment and found no potential public health or safety concerns with food derived from this corn line. The assessment concluded that it is as safe as food from non-GM corn varieties.

To support informed consumer choices, food made from corn line MZIR260 will require labelling as “genetically modified” if novel DNA and/or novel proteins were contained in the final food.

Approval of this application would only permit the sale of food products made from this GM corn line. Cultivation of corn line MZIR260 in Australia or New Zealand would require separate regulatory approval from the Gene Technology Regulator in Australia and the Environmental Protection Authority​ in New Zealand.

For more information, visit the FSANZ website.

Submissions close at 6 pm (AEDT) 4 December 2024.

Image credit: iStock.com/FotografiaBasica