By Martin Oliver
Concern about genetically modified foods in Australia is growing, despite the predictable messages being conveyed by the media.
Modified foods now include Australian-grown cottonseed oil and imported canola oil, maize, tomato, potato and pawpaw. The key question now is whether state and federal health ministers will decide to label them.
Standard A18 of the Australia and New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) proposes to label genetically modified foods only where they are not "substantially equivalent" to conventional supplies. Substantial equivalence means that a modified food is similar in nutritional make-up, and does not contain new allergens or toxins.
If this proposal goes ahead, nearly all genetically modified foods would continue to go unlabelled, including those containing herbicide residues.
By July, health ministers from Australia, the states and New Zealand are likely to decide whether to accept the ANZFA proposals.
Indications that government is starting to listen to public opinion include the ALP voting in favour of labelling at its January conference. Health ministers have received many letters requesting comprehensive labelling.
Internationally, Switzerland returned a corn shipment with illegal transgenic corn to the US in March. Soon afterwards, agribusiness companies Novartis and Monsanto both spoke in favour of segregation and labelling for gene foods entering Europe, something which was previously claimed to be impossible. The message is that protests and public demand are capable of achieving the same result here.
On one side of the labelling issue are food multinationals represented by the Australian Food Council, and the biased regulatory body ANZFA. On the other are approximately 90% of the Australian population, which would like to have labelling on genetically modified foods.
The ANZFA's attitude is revealed in the wording used to reject comprehensive gene-labelling: "It cannot be justified on the basis of sound scientific principles", and "It is more restrictive than necessary to achieve a legitimate outcome".
Nowhere are we told what these "scientific principles" are, or what a "legitimate outcome" is, but it can be inferred that it corresponds to the ANZFA's pro-industry position.
There is no time for complacency, as an increasing stream of transgenic crops could arrive, making consumer action much more difficult.
If we look at what our food dollars are supporting and take action, then we can stop further gene foods from entering the market.
Get on either the Gene-Ethics Network's e-mail list, <acfgenet@peg.apc.org>, or the mailing list of the Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee, PO Box 2183, Canberra ACT 2601, fax (02) 6213 6462. Make objections to "general releases" of transgenic crops in Australia.