Implementation delayed
As mandatory labelling for genetically modified foods is estimated to cost Australia’s food industry AUS$3 billion in the first year and AUS$1.5 billion each year thereafter, Australian and New Zealand Health Ministers have deferred making any decision on its implementation. The deferment means that labels will not reach the supermarket shelves until next year.
The proposed regulation would require companies to determine the GM status of each ingredient, additive and pro-cessing aid used in their products to accurately declare whether their products "do contain...", "may contain ..." or "do not contain..." GM ingredients. The British government has outlawed the commercial cultivation of GM crops for three years during which time further farm-scale tests on the crops will be continued.
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