How is the safety of genetically modified food assessed?
No food produced using gene technology may be sold in New Zealand unless it has been assessed for safety by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and then approved by a council of New Zealand and Australian ministers.
Assessing food safety is a difficult business. It is simply not possible to guarantee that any food – including GM food – is absolutely safe for all people. There is always some risk from bacteria, toxins and allergens. However, GM foods are assessed more thoroughly than other foods, most of which do not require a pre-market safety assessment. Those that have been approved are at least as safe as their non-GM counterparts.
How does Food Standards Australia New Zealand assess food safety?
When assessing the safety of a GM food, Food Standards Australia New Zealand applies the principles and guidelines recommended by an inter-governmental taskforce of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the international body responsible for setting international standards and guidelines for food. The principles (outlined in the booklet, GM food and the Consumer available from Food Standards Australia New Zealand) include:
- the need for case-by-case safety assessments
- cautious use of scientific, risk-based assessment methods
- consideration of new genetic material, new proteins and other characteristics of the GM food
- consideration of intended and unintended effects of the genetic modification
- comparison with conventionally produced foods.
The Codex principles have been adopted by a number of food regulatory agencies worldwide, including Health Canada and the UK’s Food Safety Agency.
What process does Food Standards Australia New Zealand follow?
The Food Standards Australia New Zealand process for assessing the safety of GM foods is designed to be open to everyone and is consistent with the international guidelines mentioned above.
Those seeking approval of a new GM food must supply Food Standards Australia New Zealand with a large amount of scientific information, which must have been generated according to international standards of good laboratory practice in independently audited laboratories. Food Standards Australia New Zealand gathers extra information from many sources, including peer-reviewed scientific literature, general technical information, independent scientists, other regulatory agencies, international bodies and the community.
Before it can recommend that a GM food is as safe as its conventional counterpart, Food Standards Australia New Zealand must be satisfied that:
- all new genetic material has been examined in detail
- the new genetic material is stable from generation to generation
- the new proteins have been examined in detail and are unlikely to be toxic or allergenic
- the new proteins do not cause any detectable toxicity in animal studies
- the potential transfer of genetic material to cells in the human digestive system will not have a significant effect on human health
- the levels of naturally occurring toxins, allergens and anti-nutrients the GM food have not significantly increased compared to the non-GM food
- the composition of the food is not significantly altered compared with the non-GM food.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand prepares a detailed safety assessment report discussing all these issues. If there is a new safety issue, an independent panel of experts reviews the report before it is released to the public for consultation. Any issues raised in consultation must be addressed before Food Standards Australia New Zealand makes a recommendation to the council of government ministers. The safety assessment reports are available from the Food Standards Australia New Zealand website, or by contacting Food Standards Australia New Zealand.
What does Food Standards Australia New Zealand check for?
The safety assessment examines the toxicity of the food. All substances – natural and synthetic – are toxic at some level, but the vast majority of naturally occurring toxins in foods exist at concentrations well below what is harmful.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand’s assessment of possible toxicity includes checking:
- that the level of naturally occurring toxins in the GM food has not increased
- that any new proteins in GM foods are unlikely to be toxic
- the results of animal studies, to ensure that the new proteins do not cause acute toxicity.
The safety assessment also examines the potential of any new proteins in the food to cause allergies. This is a new and rapidly developing field, and there is no single test to prove that a food is not allergenic. However, several methods can be used together to help predict whether a new protein has the potential to be an allergen, including whether it:
- is physically or chemically similar to known allergens
- comes from a source known to contain allergens
- survives processing, cooking and digestion
- has any other characteristics to suggest it could become an allergen.
Wherever possible, the composition and nutritional value of the GM food is compared with its non-GM counterpart, both through direct experimentation and comparison with acceptable ranges reported in scientific literature. Other issues considered by Food Standards Australia New Zealand, such as antibiotic resistance and herbicide and pesticide residues, are detailed in its booklet, GM Foods and the Consumer.
Have harmful effects been found overseas?
Neither Food Standards Australia New Zealand nor the New Zealand Government is aware of any GM foods approved by competent overseas regulatory agencies causing any adverse health effects in consumers.
At an OECD Conference held in Edinburgh in 2000, no evidence of harm was identified from the consumption of any approved GM food. The conference was attended by more than 400 international participants representing a broad range of government and non-government regulatory, scientific, consumer and industry organisations. In February 2002 the UK Royal Society concluded that ‘the allergenic risks posed by GM plants are in principle no greater than those posed by conventionally derived crops or by plants introduced from other areas of the world’.
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.
Last updated: 17 September 2007
