Thanks to congressional regulations, most GMO foods are labeled as such, this gives the consumer choice in the produce they buy but scientists have developed a was to edit parts of the DNA in some plants just enough to not label it a GMO but the plant has still been altered from it’s natural growth cycle. There are hundreds of these gene-edited crops being grown and there are expected to be more
Key Takeaways:
- In a few years, you could be eating the next generation of genetically altered foods — potatoes that do not turn brown or soybeans with a healthier mix of fatty acids.
- A new generation of crops known as gene-edited rather than genetically modified is coming to the market. Created through new tools that snip and tweak DNA at precise locations, they, at least for now, largely fall outside of current regulations.
- Calyxt, a subsidiary of Cellectis doing the gene-edited food, is also developing new versions of wheat including one with greater resistance to fungal diseases, another lower in carbohydrates and higher in dietary fibers.
“The federal Agriculture Department has asked companies to advise it of their plans. But once the companies submit data to show the agency that the gene edits do not introduce foreign genes from plant pests into the crops, the agency is giving businesses the green light.”