As Australian and New Zealand ministers meet in Canberra today to discuss food-labelling options, Charles Sturt University's Centre for Applied Ethics lecturer Dr Andrew Brien believes the development of genetically modified food products has created a Frankenstein mentality and is perverse.

"It has become increasingly acceptable to mix and match and recombine just about anything in food and it is the consumers' right to know that is being compromised," he said.

The debate over genetically modified food has erupted as the Australian Consumer Association calls for changes in labelling legislation that will force producers to list genetically modified ingredients.

Dr Brien joins fellow CSU ethics lecturers and some of Australia's leading commentators on this issue, Dr Seamus Miller and Andrew Alexandra, in support of the public's right to be informed.

"Consumers have the right to know what they are eating and for the business community to be worried about the cost [of additional labelling requirements] is a real slap in the face for those who believe in a free market system.

"By not labelling products that have been genetically modified producers are creating a market where there is no choice," Dr Brien said.