Genetically-modified purple tomatoes being considered for sale
Photo:
Thomas Martinsen/ Unsplash
New Zealanders are being asked if they want to eat genetically-modified purple tomatoes.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand said it had received an application to use and sell the fruit.
It said the tomatoes contained genes from the snapdragon plant, Del and Ros1-N, that made it produce blue pigments, resulting in purple skin and flesh.
"If approved, the GM Purple Tomato will be sold fresh, as a whole tomato, or used as an ingredient in processed food products such as sun-dried tomatoes or pastes," it said.
"Our safety assessment found no public health or safety concerns with food derived from purple tomato lines containing event Del/Ros1-N. It is as safe as food from conventional tomato varieties."
FSANZ chief executive Dr Sandra Cuthbert said it was the sixth genetically modified food being assessed through a shared process with Health Canada, which streamlined approvals.
'If approved, food from these tomato lines would need to be labelled as genetically modified under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, ensuring consumers have the information they need to make informed choices,' Dr Cuthbert said.
She said the application related only to the use of the GM Purple Tomato as food in Australia and New Zealand.
An application for commercial cultivation in Australia was being assessed by the Gene Technology Regulator and cultivation in New Zealand would require separate approval by the Environmental Protection Authority, she said.
The importation of viable seeds into either country was subject to separate biosecurity and quarantine requirements.
Public comment on the application would close on 10 September.
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