KEY POINTS:
The Government says it will not immediately buy into a transtasman food regulator's decision to declare a new form of corn genetically engineered for stockfeed to be safe for human consumption.
"New Zealand is not proceeding immediately to gazette the amendment to the genetic modification standard in the joint Food Standards Code for food derived from high-lysine corn (LY038)," Food Safety Minister Annette King said.
The corn - engineered to add weight to pigs and poultry - was approved for humans by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) because the Monsanto biotech company expects it to turn up in corn-based foods.
New Zealand scientists said there was concern the high levels of the amino acid lysine in LY038 corn may trigger diseases such as Alzheimer's, cancer and diabetes, and questioned the FSANZ decision to compare it with another GE corn, rather than a conventional corn with a good safety record.
Ms King has asked the New Zealand Food Safety Authority to provide her with more advice as to the "appropriateness" of New Zealand accepting such amendments.
- NZPA
