Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has proposed an update to the definitions for 'food produced using gene technology' and 'gene technology' to make them clearer and better able to accommodate food produced by existing, emerging, and future genetic technologies. These definitions determine which foods are classed as genetically modified foods under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.

The decision to update these definitions comes after a 2019 review found that the current definitions lack clarity, are outdated, and do not capture foods produced using new and emerging genetic technologies, including new breeding techniques such as genome editing.

Under the proposed approach, FSANZ would:

• Revise and expand the process-based definition for 'gene technology' to capture all methods for genetic modification other than conventional breeding
• Revise the definition for 'food produced using gene technology' to include specific product-based criteria for excluding certain foods from pre-market safety assessment and approval as GM food

FSANZ has invited comments from interested parties on this proposal, with the period to comment closing on December 3rd, 2021. FSANZ will consider all submissions in finalising the proposed approach, which will then be released for a final round of comment.