Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today released details of an application by Monsanto Australia Limited to approve the sale of food derived from a genetically modified (GM) cotton line.

This variety of cotton has been genetically modified for tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate, enabling cotton farmers to control weeds with the herbicide without affecting the cotton crop.  

All GM foods have to undergo a pre-market safety assessment before they can be sold in Australia and New Zealand.

FSANZ encourages anyone with a view or information on applications to change the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code to contact the agency.

All submissions will be acknowledged in a Draft Assessment report, scheduled for release in mid-2005, giving the results of any safety assessment.

Food derived from glyphosate-tolerant cottonMON88913 (Application A553   – Initial Assessment)

Cotton is currently the only GM crop grown commercially in Australia, with about 40 per cent of the New South Wales and Queensland cotton crop coming from a GM source.   This application concerns an improved version of the original Roundup Ready® cotton approved by FSANZ in 2000.

Cottonseed oil is widely used in the food industry in blended vegetable oils, baked foods, fried foods and snack foods.

Following a safety assessment of this GM cotton, FSANZ will only approve it for sale in food if it is found to be at least as safe as its non-GM counterpart.

The Initial Assessment report for this application can be found on the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) website at www.foodstandards.gov.au, along with details of how to make a submission.  

The closing date for submissions is Wednesday 23 March 2005.