As the UK looks to relax the growth and sale of gene-edited crops, how could this impact the food we eat?
Could the potential food of the future be on its way to our supermarket shelves? Parliament is currently reviewing rules which would allow gene-edited food to be grown and sold in the UK, moving away from the more stringent rules it had adopted under EU regulations. The phrase ‘genetically-modified’ gained a bad reputation towards the end of the 20th century, with concerns around the safety of inserting foreign DNA into organisms, the mechanisms for doing so and the motivations behind its use.
With the development of targeted gene-editing technologies, such as CRISPR-Cas9, modifying genetic material has become more feasible and accessible, potentially marking a revolution in food production. We will be exploring some of the proposed benefits of genetically-edited and modified produce – which include boosts to health, taste and sustainability – as well as seeing what stands in the way between edited foods and our shopping trollies…
“Modifying Foods: Past, Present”, (26:48)
“Future, Tomatoes gene-edited to boost vitamin D”, (35:47)
“Could CRISPR improve decaf coffee test?” (44:59),
“Crops modified to produce fish oils” (49:22),
“What stands in the way of gene-edited food?” (55:13)
[Editor’s note: The podcast’s segments on CRISPR and agriculture start at 26:48 in the full podcast]
