Calls for feedback about gene technology definitions

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has put out a call for public comments regarding its proposed changes to definitions for the terms “food produced using gene technology” and “gene technology”.

The current definitions are used to determine which foods are classified as genetically modified under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. Any genetically modified foods sold in Australia or New Zealand must be assessed for safety and be permitted and listed in the appropriate code schedules. The definitions do not include genetically modified organisms, which are covered by other regulations.

A 2019 review of the current definitions argued that they are outdated, have clarity issues and do not account for foods produced with newer technologies such as new breeding techniques like genome editing. Hence the updating of the definitions, which could see certain new breeding techniques not included in the definitions.

The first of two rounds of consultation will invite comments on the FSANZ’s proposed approach to change the definition of gene technology to include all methods of genetic modification other than conventional breeding and to revise the definition of food produced using gene technology to include specific criteria in order to exclude certain foods from the safety assessment and approval processes needed for genetically modified food. Foods not meeting these criteria would still need to go through the application process to FSANZ.

The call for comments can be found here, where some pertinent documentation can also be viewed, and this page outlines the method for submitting a comment. The deadline for submissions is 6 pm Canberra time, 3 December 2021.

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