FSANZ considers approving GM food

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has released a consultation document for two applications to approve the sale of genetically modified (GM) foods in Australia and New Zealand and one for a processing aid obtained from a GM source.

The three applications require a pre-market safety assessment by FSANZ before they can be approved.

They will only be approved if the scientific evidence shows that they are safe for human consumption.

The applications being considered are for foods derived from insect-protected soybean and drought-tolerant corn, respectively, and an engineered enzyme produced from a strain of Aspergillus niger.

Submissions for the soybean (A1035) and the lipase enzyme (A1036) close on 19 May 2010, while that for the GM corn (A1029) closes on 5 May 2010.