The Regulation of the Use of Genetically Engineered Cereals as Foods

Abstract

Following an overview of the current food legislation and standards set by the Australian Food Authority, the regulation which applies specifically to food and food ingredients produced by genetic engineering is discussed. The Authority has prepared a proposal to develop a standard for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for the assessment of novel products which will also permit a generic approach to be taken for those products which are no longer considered novel. A discussion paper on the safety assessment and labelling of GMOs products has also been published. The creation of an independent, national regulatory agency to assess the suitability of GMOs for food use is considered by the Authority desirable from the marketing perspective, specially for the promotion of high quality, safe Australian food for export