A GROUP of scientists today called for an urgent and independent review of the safety assessment procedure for genetically engineered food and for all GE food to be labelled.

Greenpeace said that an open letter had been sent to Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon by 15 scientists ahead of a discussion on Friday by State and Federal Health Ministers about food labelling. 

The organisation said the scientist believe Food Standards Australia New Zealand is failing in its duty to protect the health of Australian consumers, backing a Greenpeace report released yesterday.  

Professor Jack A. Heinemann, molecular biologist and director of the Centre for Integrated Research in Biosafety (INBI) in New Zealand, said he believed it was wrong for a food safety agency to have an obligation to promote trade while aiming to protect public health.

Greenpeace said the letter observes that “while regulatory agencies worldwide are displaying growing caution in response to the ever-increasing uncertainty about the safety of GE crops, FSANZ is one of only a few regulators in the world to have approved every single application it has received for GE food products.