Food ministers from Australia and New Zealand are considering a proposal to update the definition of genetically modified (GM) food in the Food Standards Code after its approval from the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).
Food ministers from Australia and New Zealand now have 60 days to make a decision.
The FSANZ Board has approved Proposal P1055 to update definitions of GM food on 4 June 2025.
The new definition “genetically modified food” will replace the previous process-based definition “food produced using gene technology”.
The definition is centred around the introduction of “novel DNA” where organism or cells that contain novel DNA will be classified as GM. This means genetic changes occurring naturally or through conventional breeding will not be under GM’s classification.
Additionally, food made with new breeding techniques without novel DNA, such as genome editing, will not be classified as GM food.
The pre-market safety assessment and approval will remain. All GM foods are still required to receive approval by the FSANZ. The GM labelling requirements will also remain the same.
The updated definition of GM foods can effectively address contemporary technologies and reduce potential coverage or overregulation gaps while keeping strong protections.
This encourages safety for food businesses, regulators and consumers, bringing Australia closer to international regulatory approaches.