Food regulator Australia and New Zealand is reviewing Simplot's GMO Innate potato

The food regulator of Australia and New Zealand (Food Standards Australia New Zealand or FSANZ) has called for submissions as it reviews a genetically-modified potato designed to produce less chemicals when fried.

United States authorities approved the potato, called Innate, for growing and processing last year.

Produced by Simplot, SPC International, it has been transformed by genetic modification (GM) to reduce a by-product chemical called acrylamide, which has been linked to cancer in laboratory animals.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has given the public until the end of September to make a submission.

FSANZ will then complete its review and make a recommendation to the Federal Government next year.

The authority has already assessed the potato as "safe" in testing, where a russet burbank potato was used in testing.

Steve McCutcheon, FSANZ chief executive:
 

"The DNA that has been added is from the potato itself, or from a closely-related potato species."

"There are no new proteins that have been introduced. It's reducing the expression of four of the potato's own genes."