Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) has indicated that it could soon be possible to label all genetically modified foods.
Currently highly refined GM ingredients — such as oil — are not labelled because of a lack of comprehensive testing. The federal and state governments decided against labelling refined GM foods due to the expense and difficulty.
However, FSANZ said that a test could soon be developed to test for all kinds of GM ingredients.
Nevertheless, FSANZ said that even when the technology is readily available the decision remains a political one.
“Australia and New Zealand have one of the most comprehensive labelling regimes for GM food in the world,” FSANZ said.
“In Australia and New Zealand all foods produced using gene technology must be safety assessed by FSANZ before they can be sold. The labelling requirements for GM food are not about safety; they are designed to enable consumers to make informed choices about what foods they eat.”