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What are the labelling requirements for genetically modified food?

New Zealand law specifies that genetically modified (GM) foods must be labelled. This is to ensure that consumers can make informed choices about the food they buy at the point of purchase.

All GM food packaged or manufactured from 7 December 2001 must be labelled according to the requirements of Standard A18/1.5.2 of the Food Standards Code. The standard is one of many in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (also referred to as the Food Standards Code), and is one of many standards that regulate the safety, labelling and composition of the food available in New Zealand.

What will be labelled?

The labelling requirements for packaged and bulk foods are based on the content of the food. The law says:

Food that contains genetically modified DNA or protein must be labelled. This means that any food, food ingredient, food additive, food-processing aid or flavouring, that contains genetically modified DNA or protein must be identified on the label as being ‘genetically modified’. Food is sometimes processed in such a way as to remove all DNA or protein, (eg, oils and sugars processed from GM plants). If a food is processed in this way and it does not have altered characteristics, then it does not need to be labelled.
Food that has altered characteristics must be labelled. This means that if food is significantly different from its non-GM counterpart with respect to allergenicity, toxicity, nutritional impact or end use, it must be identified on the label as being ‘genetically modified’. For example, soybeans can be modified so that its oil is higher in oleic acid than oil from a non-GM soybean. This oil would need to be labelled, even if no GM material was present in the finished product.

There are two exemptions from these labelling requirements. One is for flavourings making up less than 0.1% of a final food. The other is for an ingredient that unintentionally contains GM material, but which is less than 1% of that ingredient.

How does the GM labelling requirement work?

The standard requires that where a GM food or ingredient is present:

for packaged foods the words ‘genetically modified’ must be used in conjunction with the name of the food, or in association with the specific ingredient within the ingredient list
for unpackaged foods for retail sale (such as unpackaged fruit and vegetables, or unpackaged processed or semi-processed foods) the words ‘genetically modified’ must be displayed in association with the food, or in association with the particular ingredient within that food.

What will a label look like?

When a food is required to be labelled as GM, the information will usually be in the ingredients list on the label. For example, an ingredients list for a white bread containing a GM ingredient might look like this:

Ingredients: wheat flour, water added, yeast, salt, soya flour (genetically modified), vegetable oil, sugar, emulsifiers (471,472E), preservatives (282), enzyme amylase.

If you want to find out more about a product, you can contact the manufacturer directly – often through a toll-free number on the label.

What about food prepared in restaurants and takeaways?

This labelling requirement applies to all packaged and bulk foods, but not to food you may purchase in restaurants, cafés and takeaways. This is the same as most other food -labelling requirements. If concerned, you can ask whether a food contains any GM ingredients before you choose to buy it.

What about food that does not contain GM ingredients?

The standard does not cover labelling of food that is not genetically modified, such as foods labelled as ‘GM-free’ or ‘non-GM’. These claims are legal as long as they comply with the Fair Trading Act, which requires that any claims must be truthful and not misleading.

Is this GM labelling requirement compulsory?

Yes. All GM food and ingredients packaged or manufactured from 7 December 2001 must comply with this new requirement for GM food labelling. It also requires all GM ingredients to be assessed and approved before use and sale in New Zealand. (The topic: How is the Safety of Genetically Modified Food Assessed? has more about that.)

Food businesses such as manufacturers, packers, importers and (where appropriate), retailers should be taking all reasonable steps to:

find out whether a food or ingredient (including additives and processing aids) is genetically modified, then,
find out whether the food or ingredient is permitted under the Food Standards Code, and
determine and comply with the labelling requirements for the GM food or ingredient.

It is the responsibility of the food business applying the food label or selling the food, to meet the requirements of the standard and ensure the accuracy of the label.

Where can I find more information?

For information on the processes for assessing the safety and labelling of GM foods in New Zealand, see the Food Standards Australia New Zealand website.

For information on the processes for assessing applications for GM organisms in New Zealand, see the ERMANZ website.