Agro-Biotech News

New Zealand Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard and his Australian counterparts have decided to adopt the updated definitions of Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) for genetically modified (GM) food in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. The decision was made in late July following FSANZ's approval of the updated definition. According to FSANZ's P1055 proposal, food produced using New Breeding Techniques (NBTs) will not be labeled as GM if no novel or new DNA was introduced. Hoggard said that producers may still choose to disclose whether gene technologies were used in the food production process. The Food Safety Minister also said that, to the best of his knowledge, no health issues had been raised from consuming GM products.