Australia approves the world's first transgenic banana

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), the Australian and New Zealand regulatory agency, today announced to the Food Ministers Meeting (FMM) that it has given approval to the "QCAV-4" biotechnology event for bananas as safe for human consumption. Now, the FMM, made up of ministers from Australia's state and territory governments, as well as the governments of Australia and New Zealand, has a deadline of 60 days to ratify the FSANZ decision or request a review. The QCAV-4 banana marks a notable breakthrough as the world's first genetically modified banana to gain approval for commercial production. Furthermore, it is the first genetically modified Australian fruit approved for cultivation in the country. This banana variety has the potential to provide a safety net against the devastating tropical fungus race 4 responsible for Panama Disease (TR4), a serious threat to the $20 billion global banana industry. Professor James Dale, a renowned researcher at the Queensland ...