Company wants stockfeed GE corn approved for people

Global seed producer Monsanto has applied for two new genetically-modified crops used as animal feed to be approved in human foods.

The company wants approval, as a small amount may enter human foods by accident, but experts warn that if approved, nothing will stop the crops from being used widescale in food production.

Monsanto Australia has applied to Food Standards Australia New Zealand to approve food derived from its new corn breed and herbicide-tolerant lucerne.

The authority has already assessed that the corn, which has higher than usual levels of lysine, is as safe as food derived from conventionally-bred corn. Lysine is an essential amino acid needed by the human body.

But Green MP Sue Kedgley said it was a "sneaky" move that gives indirect approval for the crops to come into the human food supply.

"Why give blanket approval for crops that have only been approved for animals to come into our food supply?"

"If even America has only approved it for use in stockfeed, the very last thing ... we should be doing is saying, we'll just allow it to turn up in our food."

Food and agriculture companies in the United States embarked on a recall of products in 2000 after a genetically engineered corn approved only for animal feed turned up in human food and caused allergies in some people.

The incident has prompted the food safety authorities to do parallel approvals for animal and human feed.

"It's very unlikely this would end up in the human food supply but to be doubly sure, we do assess GM stockfeed for human food safety as well, in case there's an accidental mixing," said a Food Standards spokeswoman.

A submission was lodged by the New Zealand Institute of Gene Ecology when public submissions were first called.

The institute's director, Dr Jack Heinemann, said the corn was different from previous genetically modified organisms, which were given desirable traits to help the crop grower.

But this one has a new trait to change its value as food.

"Our point was simply, not that it was unsafe, but the claims of safety were based on a standard of evidence that could have been higher."

Dr Heinemann said: "our laws say that if it's approved for human food supply, then it's approved ... What it really does is it opens the door to say that if [Monsanto] chooses at some point to make it available in the human food supply, it's now legal."

* Submissions to Food Standards Australia New Zealand close on May 3.