1. SECTIONS:
2. preface & acknowledgements
3. genetics at a glance
4. contacts, support & testing
5. testing & pregnancy
6. newborn screening
7. cancer in the family
8. cardiovascular conditions
9. chromosomal conditions
10. clotting & bleeding conditions
11. cystic fibrosis
12. diabetes
13. fragile X syndrome and other causes of developmental delay
14. haemoglobinopathies
15. hereditary haemochromatosis
16. neurofibromatosis
17. neurological conditions
18. psychiatric conditions
19. genetics in practice
20. emerging genetic technologies
21. glossary

Genetically modified (GM) foods

 

1. Genetically modified (GM) foods have ingredients in them that have been modified by gene technology.
2. This technology allows food producers to alter certain characteristics of a food crop by adding, removing or altering genetic material.
3. In Australia, no fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, fish or agricultural products, other than those listed below, are sold as GM.

 

Applications

1. Foods on sale in Australia that potentially use genetically modified (GM) ingredients come from the six GM commodity crops:
2. Soybeans – can be found in soy-based products and as an ingredient in processed foods such as bread, pastries, snack foods and edible oil products
3. Corn products – can be found in corn oil, corn flour, corn syrup, used in snack foods, fried foods and confectionery. This does not include corn cobs
4. Potatoes – can be used in processed products such as snack foods. This does not include fresh potatoes
5. Sugar beet – can be used as sugar in some imported processed foods
6. Canola oil – can be found in cooking oils, and a variety of tinned foods, and snack foods
7. Cottonseed oil*- can be found in edible vegetable oils and margarines
8. In addition to the above-listed GM crops, enzymes derived from GM sources (although the enzymes themselves are not genetically modified) are also used in the creation of some foods, such as sugar and cheese, although there are no GM ingredients in the end product.

 

* Cottonseed oil is produced from GM cotton. GM cotton is the only GM food product approved to be grown commercially in Australia. The other GM foods are imported from other countries.

 

Safety

1. It is the role of Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), which is part of the Australian Government Health Portfolio, to ensure that all food, including GM food, is safe and that safety guidelines are based on strict standards.
2. All GM foods intended for sale in Australia and New Zealand are subjected to a pre-market safety assessment by FSANZ. No GM food will be allowed onto the supermarket shelves unless it has gone through the safety assessment process and been approved for sale and consumption by FSANZ.
3. GM food products on sale in Australia and New Zealand, either as a whole food or as in ingredient in a processed food, must have their GM status identified if introduced genetic material or protein is present in the final food. This identification will appear on the packaging label or near the food if it is unpackaged.
4. Products that do not have to be labeled include:
5. Highly refined food, such as sugar or cottonseed oil, where the refining process removes any GM material
6. Processing aids and food additives, where there is no GM material present in the final food product
7. Flavours which are present in an amount less than 0.1% (1 in 1000 parts) in the final food product
8. Food prepared in restaurants or takeaway shops.
9. Genetic modification has the potential to provide foods that have specific consumer benefits, such as being healthier, safer, cheaper, or can be grown more efficiently.
10. GM crops may also have some environmental benefits; for example, the use of fewer chemicals (eg pesticides) during their production.
11. Researchers are planning to develop foods that directly benefit consumers by:
12. Increasing concentrations of vitamins and improving ratios of fats and other constituents
13. Removing the allergy-causing substances and potential toxins that occur naturally in many plants
14. Inserting substances known to help prevent chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease
15. However GM crops may also pose risks to the environment, which is why proper procedures that are set out by the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) must be followed.

 

Regulation

1. The standard for GM foods is enforced by the States’ and Territories’ food or health agency.
2. A national survey in 2004 found that foods complied with the GM labeling laws.
3. When the jurisdictions test foods for compliance, the food may contain up to 1% of unintended GM product, however the manufacturer would have to prove that they ordered non-GM ingredients.
4. Key government regulators include:
5. The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR), which regulates the testing and release of all genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Australia, under the Gene Technology Act 2000, in order to protect the health and safety of people and the environment from potential risks posed by gene technology
6. Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS), which oversees imports and exports
7. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which administers the Trade Practices Act 1974 to protect consumers from unfair trading practices and from false, misleading and deceptive conduct, which could include misleading labeling of foods.

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