The ability to edit the genes of plants and animals has been hailed as a breakthrough that will help feed a sharply increasing human population in a world wracked by climate change. But governments disagree or are uncertain about how to regulate the technology, and the biggest question of all remains unanswered: When gene-edited foods hit grocery stores, will customers buy them?
"By early next year, the first foods from plants or animals that had their DNA 'edited' are expected to begin selling. It's a different technology than today's controversial 'genetically modified' foods, more like faster breeding that promises to boost nutrition, spur crop growth, and make farm animals hardier and fruits and vegetables last longer," Lauran Neergaard reports for The Associated Press.
Scientists hope consumers will see the value in the changes they're pursuing: "Wheat with triple the usual fiber, or that's low in gluten. Mushrooms that don't brown, and better-producing tomatoes. Drought-tolerant corn, and rice that no longer absorbs soil pollution as it grows. Dairy cows that don't need to undergo painful de-horning, and pigs immune to a dangerous virus that can sweep through herds," Neergaard reports.
The federal government is split on how or whether to regulate gene-edited organisms: the Agriculture Department says no extra rules are needed for gene-edited plants that could have been developed through traditional breeding, but in 2017 the Food and Drug Administration proposed tighter restrictions on gene-edited animals. International rules, important for trade considerations, are likewise up in the air. "Europe's highest court ruled last summer that existing European curbs on the sale of transgenic GMOs should apply to gene-edited foods, too," Neergaard reports. "But at the World Trade Organization this month, the U.S. joined 12 nations including Australia, Canada, Argentina and Brazil in urging other countries to adopt internationally consistent, science-based rules for gene-edited agriculture."
"By early next year, the first foods from plants or animals that had their DNA 'edited' are expected to begin selling. It's a different technology than today's controversial 'genetically modified' foods, more like faster breeding that promises to boost nutrition, spur crop growth, and make farm animals hardier and fruits and vegetables last longer," Lauran Neergaard reports for The Associated Press.
Scientists hope consumers will see the value in the changes they're pursuing: "Wheat with triple the usual fiber, or that's low in gluten. Mushrooms that don't brown, and better-producing tomatoes. Drought-tolerant corn, and rice that no longer absorbs soil pollution as it grows. Dairy cows that don't need to undergo painful de-horning, and pigs immune to a dangerous virus that can sweep through herds," Neergaard reports.
The federal government is split on how or whether to regulate gene-edited organisms: the Agriculture Department says no extra rules are needed for gene-edited plants that could have been developed through traditional breeding, but in 2017 the Food and Drug Administration proposed tighter restrictions on gene-edited animals. International rules, important for trade considerations, are likewise up in the air. "Europe's highest court ruled last summer that existing European curbs on the sale of transgenic GMOs should apply to gene-edited foods, too," Neergaard reports. "But at the World Trade Organization this month, the U.S. joined 12 nations including Australia, Canada, Argentina and Brazil in urging other countries to adopt internationally consistent, science-based rules for gene-edited agriculture."
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