Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has approved an application to permit food derived from wheat line IND-00412-7, also known as 'HB4 wheat'. This wheat has been genetically modified (GM) to have tolerance to drought and the herbicide glufosinate. The Approval Report and assessment documents are available below. Also on this page is more information on HB4 wheat.
Approval report
Approval report - 6 May 2022 (pdf 262 kb)
Call for submissions
Call for submissions - 6 December 2021 (pdf 85.6 kb)
Supporting document 1 - Safety assessment (pdf 889 kb)
Submissions(zip 6.52 mb)
Administrative Assessment - 3 August 2021 (pdf 94.9 kb)
Executive Summary (pdf 85.3 kb)
Application (6.87 mb)
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Further information on HB4 wheat
Food products that may be available
Food from HB4 wheat may enter the Australian and New Zealand food supply via imported processed products, either in the form of wheat flour or as finished products such as baked goods.
Requirements to import food derived from HB4 wheat
All foods imported into Australia must comply with strict biosecurity requirements and the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. See imported foods for more information.
Information regarding import of GM foods into New Zealand can be found in the following Ministry for Primary Industries fact sheet.
Labelling requirements
Existing labelling requirements for GM foods willapply to food from HB4 wheat. Under these requirements, a food or a food ingredient derived from this wheat variety would, in most cases, need to be labelled as 'genetically modified' if it contained novel DNA or novel protein. Existing exemptions from GM labelling requirements, including the exemption for food sold in restaurants, will apply to HB4 wheat (see our GM food labelling page for more information).
Cultivation of HB4 wheat
This application didnot seek approval to cultivate HB4 wheat in Australia or New Zealand. Permission to cultivate the wheat line or to import viable seeds would require separate regulatory assessment and approval. In Australia, this is the responsibility of the Gene Technology Regulator and in New Zealand, the Environmental Protection Authority.
Until such approval is sought and granted, HB4 wheat will be grown overseas. Cultivation is approved in Argentina, and applications have been submitted to grow the wheat in other countries.