What is the approval process that food companies or agribusiness firms must follow to get GM food products onto the market?
All GM foods in Australia and New Zealand must be assessed by FSANZ, determined to be safe, and approved by the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Council (ANZFSC) – made up of Australian Government, State and Territory Health Ministers, and the New Zealand Health Minister, before they can be legally sold. Producers of GM foods must apply to FSANZ to seek approval for the food to enter the food supply in Australia (and New Zealand). This application is made at the commodity level – that is as a new primary product (eg: Bt corn). Until that commodity is approved, foods containing it, or ingredients derived from it, cannot be lawfully sold. The producer of the food must provide a large amount of scientific information so that FSANZ can complete a full safety assessment. FSANZ supplements this data with information derived from a number of other sources, such as peer-reviewed scientific literature, general technical information, independent scientists, other regulatory agencies, interna
