A bulletin for the Australian Food Industry February 1999
Contents: Preventing meat-borne contamination | Safe food supply for Australia | Tainting of foods | Fresh Cuts industry guidelines | Labelling genetically modified food | Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in milk
Labelling genetically modified food
The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Council (ANZFSC) has recommended that the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Authority (ANZFA) require labelling of all genetically modified foods and foods containing genetically modified ingredients. The Council is made up of all federal, state, and territory health ministers of Australia and New Zealand. The recommendation comes despite ANZFA's submission to the Council that Australia should adopt the United States position which requires only those genetically modified foods which are substantially different from the original to be labelled.
The Council proposes two types of mandatory labels. When a manufacturer knows a food contains genetically modified materials, the label must say 'does contain .... ' If a manufacturer is uncertain whether ingredients in a food contain genetically modified material, the label is to state, 'may contain .... '. Negative labelling, 'does not contain ... ', would be permitted but is not mandatory.
ANZFSC has asked ANZFA to provide a definition of genetically modified food that takes account of the fact that many food ingredients, both major and minor, could be made from genetically modified organisms but are not themselves modified. A satisfactory definition of this type has so far eluded food authorities worldwide.
The decision was welcomed by consumer groups but has been strongly criticised by food manufacturer and primary producer representatives. Critics maintain that such legislation would be unworkable and may have serious trade implications for Australia.
It is a basic tenet of food law that for any regulation to be effective it must be enforceable and the question of how such a requirement would be enforced has yet to be addressed. The question of how unlabelled foodstuffs will be regulated is also outstanding.
For further information contact:
Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA)
Telephone 026 271 2222
Food Science Australia
PO Box 52, North Ryde 1670. Tel +61 2 9490 8397 Fax +61 2 9490 8499
Email enquiries@csiro.au