Some countries/areas such as Canada, the European Union, the Mainland
China, Australia and New Zealand have promulgated regulations that require
pre-market safety assessment of GM food before their launching on the
market. In the United States, producers and developers of GM food are
encouraged to consult with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before
placing them on the market. So far, all GM food produced in the US has
completed consultation with FDA before available for sale on the market.
Most of the GM food available on the international market is, or is derived
from, GM crops. Please refer to the database below for crops that have
GM counterparts and approved for food use in different countries.
|
GM crops approved for food use
|
Characteristic(s) shown after genetic modification
|
Approved Country
|
Potential Uses
|
|
Canola
|
Bromoxynil
(Herbicide) tolerant (OXY-235)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
Mainland China
|
Canola oil, as ingredients in edible oil products, bakery and
snacks
|
|
Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant;Fertility
restorer (RF2)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
|
|
Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant (Topas19/2 / HCN92)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
Mainland China
|
|
Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant (T45)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
Mainland China
|
|
Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant; Fertility restorer (RF3)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
|
| Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant (MS1RF1 / PGS1) |
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
Mainland China
|
| Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant (MS1RF2 / PGS2) |
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
Mainland China
|
| Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant (MS8RF3) |
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
Mainland China
|
|
Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant; Male sterility (MS1)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
|
|
Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant; Male sterility (MS8)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
|
|
Glyphosate
(Herbicide) tolerant (GT200)
|
Canada
United States
|
|
Glyphosate
(Herbicide) tolerant (GT73)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
Mainland China
|
|
Laurate
(23)
|
United States
|
|
Laurate
and myristate(23-198, 23-18-17)
|
Canada
United States
|
|
Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant; Fertility restorer (RF1)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
|
|
Corn
|
Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant (DLL25)
|
Canada
United States
|
Corn oil, corn flour, sugar or syrup, and as ingredients in snacks,
bakery, confectionery and soft drink, etc
|
|
Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant (T14, 25)
|
Australia and New Zealand (T25)
Canada
United States
Mainland China (T25)
|
|
Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant; Male sterility (676, 678, 680)
|
United States
|
|
Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant; Male Sterility(MS6)
|
United States
|
|
Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant; Male sterility(MS3)
|
Canada
United States
|
|
Glyphosate
(Herbicide) tolerant (GA21)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
Mainland China
|
|
Glyphosate
(Herbicide) tolerant (NK603)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
Mainland China
|
|
Insect
resistant (Bt11)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
Mainland China
|
|
Insect resistant
(Bt176)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
Mainland China
|
|
Insect
resistant (MON801)
|
United States
|
| Insect
resistant and Glufosinate (Herbicide) tolerant (MON809) |
Canada
United States
|
|
Insect
resistant (MON810)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
Mainland China
|
|
Insect
resistant (MON863)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
Mainland China
|
|
Insect
resistant and Glufosinate (Herbicide) tolerant (1507)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
Mainland China
|
|
Insect
resistant and Glufosinate (Herbicide) tolerant (DBT418)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
|
|
Insect
resistant and Glyphosate (Herbicide) tolerant (MON802, 805)
|
Canada (MON802)
United States
|
| High
lysine (amino acid) content (LY038) |
United States Canada
|
| Insect
resistant and Glyphosate (Herbicide) tolerant (DAS-59122-7) |
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
|
| Insect
resistant and Glyphosate (Herbicide) tolerant (MON 88017) |
Canada
United States
|
| Glyphosate (Herbicide) tolerant (MON830, 831, 832) |
Canada (MON832)
United States |
| Insect resistant (MIR 604) |
Australia and New Zealand
United States
|
| Insect resistant and Glufosinate (Herbicide) olerant (DAS-06275-8/TC-6275) |
|
|
Cotton
|
Bromoxynil
(Herbicide) tolerant (BXN)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
|
Cottonseed oil, as ingredients in baked foods, snack foods, edible
oil products, etc
|
|
Glyphosate
(Herbicide) tolerant (1445, 1698)
|
Australia and New Zealand (MON1445)
Canada (MON1445)
United States
Mainland China (MON1445)
|
|
Insect
resistant (MON757)
|
Canada
United States
|
|
Insect
resistant (MON531)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
Mainland China
|
|
Insect
resistant and Bromoxynil (Herbicide) tolerant(31707, 31803,
31807, 31808, 42317)
|
United States
|
|
Insect
resistant and Bromoxynil (Herbicide) tolerant (BXN Plus Bt)
|
Canada
|
|
Sulfonylurea
(Herbicide) tolerant (19-51a)
|
United States
|
| Insect
resistant (281-24-236) |
Canada
United States
|
| Insect
resistant (3006-210-23) |
Canada
United States
|
|
Insect
resistant (15985)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
|
| Glyphosate
(Herbicide) tolerant (MON88913) |
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
|
| Insect
resistant (Cot102) |
Australia and New Zealand
United States
|
| Glyphosate
(Herbicide) tolerant (LLCotton25) |
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
|
|
Flax
|
Sulfonylurea
(Herbicide) tolerant (CDC-Triffid / FP967)
|
Canada
United States
|
Flax seed oil, as ingredients in baked foods, snack foods, edible
oil products, etc
|
|
Papaya
|
Virus
resistant (55-1)
|
Canada
United States
|
Papaya soup and desserts
|
|
Potato
|
Insect
and virus resistant (Newleaf Plus) (RBMT21-129, 152, 350, RBMT22-82,
186, 238, 262)
|
Australia and New Zealand
(RBMT21-129, 350, RBMT22-82)
Canada
United States
|
Potato chips, mashed potato, potato soaps, starch
|
|
Insect
and virus resistant (Newleaf Y) (SEMT15-02, 15-15, 15-07, HLMT15-3,
15-15, 15-46, RBMT15-101)
|
Australia and New Zealand
(SEMT15-02, 15-15, RBMT15-101)
Canada
United States
|
|
Insect
resistant (ATBT04-6, 27, 30, 31, 36, SPBT02-5, 7)
|
Australia and New Zealand (ATBT04-31, 36, SPBT02-05)
Canada
United States
|
|
Insect
resistant (BT6, 10, 12, 16, 17, 18, 23)
|
Australia and New Zealand (BT6)
Canada
United States
|
|
Chicory
|
Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant; Male sterility (RM3-3, 4, 6)
|
United States
|
Salad
|
|
Rice
|
Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant (LLRICE06, 62)
|
Canada
United States
|
Staple food, rice flour and noodle
|
|
Soybean
|
Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant (A2704-12, A5547-127)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
|
Soy beverages, tofu, soy oil, soy flour, emulsifiers (i.e. lecithin),
and as ingredients in breads, pastries and edible oil, etc
|
|
Glyphosate
(Herbicide) tolerant (GTS 40-3-2)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
Mainland China
|
|
High
oleic acid (G94-1, 19, 168)
|
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
|
| Glyphosate (Herbicide) tolerant (MON 89788) |
United States |
|
Squash
|
Virus
resistant (CZW3)
|
Canada
United States
|
Squash soup and dessert
|
|
Virus
resistant (ZW20)
|
Canada
United States
|
|
Sugar beet
|
Glufosinate
(Herbicide) tolerant (T120-7)
|
Canada
United States
|
Sugar, as ingredients in processed foods containing sugar
|
| Glyphosate
(Herbicide) tolerant (H7-1) |
Australia and New Zealand
Canada
United States
|
|
Glyphosate
(Herbicide) tolerant (GTS B77)
|
Australia and New Zealand
United States
|
|
Tomato
|
Delay
softening (1401F, H282F, 11013F, 7913F)
|
Canada
|
Tomato puree, tomato juice
|
|
Delayed
ripening (35-1-N)
|
United States
|
|
Delayed
ripening (1345-4)
|
Canada
United States
|
|
Delayed
ripening (8338)
|
United States
|
|
Delayed
softening (B, Da, F)
|
United States
|
|
Delayed
softening (FLAVR SAVRTM) (CR3-613, 623)
|
Canada
United States
|
|
Insect
resistant (5345)
|
Canada
United States
|
Most GM crops are genetically modified to improve their resistance to
pests or herbicides. Apart from these properties, some of them are modified
to improve the nutrient composition or processing characteristics to reduce
wastage and costs. So far, all the GM crops in the market do not contain
animal gene and no genetically modified animal food is available on the
international market.
Health Canada is responsible for assessing the human health safety of
food products including GM food. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
is responsible for the environmental assessment, import permission and
registration of different GM food products including plants, animal feeds
and animal feed ingredients.
Under the Novel Foods Regulations, pre-market assessment is required
before genetically modified (GM) food can be sold in Canada.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the primary agency responsible
for ensuring safety and wholesomeness of food (except meat and poultry,
which are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)), including
GM food, in the United States. On the other hand, the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) would have the responsibility for food safety consideration
when the GM plant that the food derived from produces any pesticidal substances.
If the GM plant would be grown in the open environment, it has to be further
assessed by USDA and/or EPA for any environmental implications.
In 1992, FDA issued its policy statement regarding the regulation of
GM food. In 1994, FDA concluded that the first GM food, the Flavr SavrTM
tomato, was as safe as other commercial varieties of tomato after its
thorough safety and nutritional evaluation. Following that decision, all
GM food produced in the US has consulted with the FDA before commercialisation.
The Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is responsible for conducting
safety assessment on GM food in Australia and New Zealand. Starting from
May 1999, all GM foods are required to go through a safety assessment
by the FSANZ before they are allowed for sale in the market.
Starting from April 2004, GM crops and products intended for food use
are required to go through safety assessment before they are allowed to
be imported into Mainland China. The Ministry of Agriculture and
the Ministry of Health are authorities responsible for GM food regulation.
|