South Australia is set to extend its controversial ban on the growing of genetically-modified crops until 2025 after a bill put forward by the Greens passed the Upper House by a single vote.

The current ban will expire on September 1 in 2019 and was due to be debated later next year, but the Greens surprised the State Parliament with its motion to extend it for another 6 years.

The bill is also expected to pass the Lower House, and Greens leader Mark Parnell said when that happens the State's farmers will be the big winners.

"There are a lot of farmers in South Australia who are nervous about the (GM) technology, and what the marketing evidence shows is that there is a price premium for not growing GM crops," he said.

The 2017 edition of the GM-Free Shopping List, published today, includes many brands not listed in earlier editions.

The GM-Free Australia Alliance (GMFAA) has further reported increasing interest from food producers this year to the demand for groceries free of genetically manipulated organisms (GMOs).

GMFAA spokesperson Jessica Harrison stated that the Shopping List acknowledges and promotes a growing list of brands whose GM-free status caters to consumers' right to choose non-GM foods. “Australians passionate about the right to choose have been voting with their wallets. Growing consumer awareness about genetic manipulation is increasing demand for both conventional and organic foods, supporting their producers and adding to market pressure on food producers to choose non-GMO suppliers".

Gene Ethics Media Release 27 June 2016

Gene Ethics posed 20 questions on Genetically Manipulated (GM) foods, seeds and sustainable farms to leading political parties.

"The scorecard shows The Greens and Xenophon Team have the best policies on GM-free food, seed and farms to deliver the real change that agriculture urgently needs, to safely and securely feed all Australians into the future," says Gene Ethics Director Bob Phelps.

"On our election scorecard, The Greens hit 80% as they were the only party to answer our questions and explain their policies. The Xenophon Team followed on 25%, with the ALP 8% and the Coalition Parties 0% as they did not reply.

The Greens say: "GMO assessments must be broad, independent and scientifically robust. Everyone has a right to know if foods contain any ingredients made using GM techniques, through the comprehensive labelling of those products.

"Over 90% of Australian shoppers want clear and honest GM food labels but we don't have them so this policy is a clear winner," he says.

(Read more on Gene Ethics Facebook at: http://tinyurl.com/czgdz6c)

Information about Australia is updated.

What foods have GMOs?

“Genetically modified products are in an estimated of 60 percent of processed foods,” coordinator of GM Free Australia Alliance Jessica Harrison told HuffPost Australia.

“Soy lecithin -- a common emulsifier that helps other ingredients mix together -- can be GM and is in most GM foods.”

“Oil is a big one -- it’s in a lot of products and could contain a cocktail of GM oil, such as soy, canola and corn,” Harrison said. “The other area is corn syrup -- corn syrup is manufactured on a huge scale in the U.S. and is in a lot of sweetened products, such as soft drinks.”

Currently, the approved GM foods for consumption in Australia are soybean, canola, corn, potato, sugar beet, cotton, wheat and rice.

“There are no fresh fruits or vegetables grown in Australia that are genetically modified,” Rachel Ankeny, professor and leader of the Food Values Research Group at the University of Adelaide, told HuffPost Australia. “The only crops approved for commercial growth in Australia are GM cotton and GM canola (we use the oil in human food and seed meal in animal feed).”

However, the other genetically modified foods mentioned are grown overseas and imported into Australia.

Steve Marsh, an organic farmer in Western Australia, has lost his final bid in his landmark genetic modification contamination lawsuit against his neighboring farmer, Michael Baxter, who planted Monsanto’s genetically modified (GMO) canola.

Australian Greens leader Richard Di Natale says his party is considering a policy change on genetically modified crops.

Legislation allowing the WA Government to prohibit the growth of genetically modified crops in part or all of the state is set to be repealed, with the Agriculture Minister moving to scrap the 12-year-old law.

Supporters on both sides of the legal battle between Western Australian farmers Steve Marsh and Michael Baxter say the fight over genetically modified (GM) crops won't end in the High Court.

Scotland's decision to ban genetically modified crops will have little direct impact on Australia, but does it lend support to GM moratoriums in South Australia and Tasmania?