The Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) on Wednesday invited public comment on a number of proposed changes to the Food Standards Code, including the use of industrial hemp as a novel food, enforcement levels for two antibiotics in cattle milk, use of a marine micro-algae as a novel food ingredient and a genetically modified corn.
ANZFA' s Managing Director Ian Lindenmayer said Australia and New Zealand have one of the most transparent and inclusive processes in the world when it comes to changing food standards.
"This approach was followed at every step in developing the new Food Standards Code, which contains some of the most modern and progressive national food standards to be found anywhere,' Mr Lindenmayer said.
"I invite individuals and organisations with an interest in the changes under discussion to send their views and comments to ANZFA, where they will be carefully assessed."
ANZFA reports that industrial hemp may be an excellent source of unsaturated fatty acids and an additional source of essential fatty acids. However, in Australia and New Zealand hemp is a non-traditional food and is therefore considered a novel food because there is no history of safe use in the community. The sale of hemp food products is currently prohibited.
The application has been the subject of rigorous scientific assessment by ANZFA. ANZFA has found that foods produced from industrial hemp - that is, hemp containing negligible levels of the hallucinogen THC - do not raise public health and safety concerns. There is widespread use of industrial hemp as a food elsewhere in the world. Hemp-based products such as hempseed and hempseed oil can provide consumer health benefits. The ANZFA Board has approved a Draft Assessment that recommends approval of industrial hemp as a novel food.
Visit the ANZFA web site to find out more information on the proposed changes to the Food Standards Code.