Genetically cultivated corn: do you have a comment?

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

Corn line MON94804 has been genetically modified to reduce the plant’s overall height. This potentially provides higher yields, due to improved access for farming equipment and reduced risk of crop losses from high winds and adverse weather.

“If approved, food from this type of GM corn could be imported into Australia and New Zealand via products including starch, grits, meal, flour, oil and sweetener,” said FSANZ CEO Dr Sandra Cuthbert.

“Our safety assessment focused on human food safety and nutritional issues, and found food derived from MON94804 is considered to be as safe for human consumption as food made from conventional non-GM corn cultivars.”

To help people make informed choices, food made from this corn would need to be labelled as “genetically modified” if novel DNA and/or novel proteins were contained in the final food.

FSANZ’s approval would not permit the GM corn to be grown in Australia or New Zealand. Its cultivation would require separate regulatory assessment and approval by the Gene Technology Regulator in Australia and the Environmental Protection Authority in New Zealand.

To have your say on this application, visit the FSANZ consultation hub. Submissions close at 6 pm (AEDT), 30 April 2024.

Image credit: iStock.com/feellife