A GREENPEACE report has shown concerns from the group that genetically modified wheat could soon be widely grown in Australia for use in staples such as bread and cereals.
The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator has approved field trials of 1300 modified wheat and barley lines this year, up from 150 trials in 2004.
Coupled with investments in Australian wheat by the modified-seed multinationals Monsanto, BASF and Agrium, Greenpeace fears Australia's opportunity to be a leading producer of unmodified wheat is under threat.
''There's no way of knowing the impacts of GM [genetically modified] wheat,'' said Claire Parfitt, who wrote the report.
Food with genetically modified ingredients must be labelled, but not the products of animals fed genetically modified feed.
The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator said the 1300 wheat line tests were part of early-stage research.
Greenpeace is campaigning for Australia's bread and cereal manufacturers to rule out using modified wheat, after more than 160 top chefs including Tetsuya Wakuda, Margaret Fulton and Peter Gilmore of Quay, signed its GM-free chefs' charter.
Mr Gilmore takes part in a forum on modified wheat tonight at the Gaffa Gallery with Ms Parfitt, the food writer John Newton, the chef Robert Marchetti and the baker Michael Klausen.
