Call for comment on new type of GM corn

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

FSANZ CEO Mark Booth said the corn line (DP23211) has been genetically modified to give the plant the ability to protect itself from the herbicide glufosinate and the insect pest corn rootworm.

“If approved, this type of GM corn could be used to make starch, grits, meal, flour, oil and sweetener.

“When assessing this application, our safety assessment is a critical part of the approval process.

“We looked at key safety aspects including the process used to transfer the gene into the plant, potential unintended changes, the nutritional content compared to non-GM corn and any potential allergic or toxic effects in humans.

“Our assessment found no potential public health and safety concerns with this variety of corn. It is as safe and healthy as non-GM corn varieties.

“To help people make informed choices about the food they buy, food from this corn would need to be labelled as ‘genetically modified’ if there was any novel DNA and/or novel proteins from the corn in the final food,” Booth said.

The FSANZ comments submission page is open for applications until 6 pm (Canberra time), 12 November 2020.

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