Britain’s first genetically edited (GE) foods will go on sale in supermarkets early next year, marking a milestone enabled by post-Brexit regulatory freedoms.
Crops developed under the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 will be legally available in England for the first time. The new legislation allows the sale of precision-bred organisms (PBOs) that have been altered to be tastier, healthier and longer-lasting.
University researchers and private firms have already produced a range of products, including bread with fewer cancer-causing chemicals, disease-resistant potatoes, longer-lasting strawberries and bananas, and sweeter lettuce.
From 13 November, developers will be able to apply for approval to market GE crops for human food or livestock feed. Approvals are expected to take around two months.
Government sources told The Telegraph that Labour had accelerated the rollout of gene editing regulations after coming to power, describing it as a step to strengthen food security and support farmers.
The new products will be available only in England, with devolved administrations yet to give their backing.
Unlike genetically modified (GM) crops, which involve inserting genes from other species, gene editing works by precisely altering or removing DNA to produce traits that could occur naturally, but in a faster and more targeted way. Experts in England argue that PBOs are “fundamentally no different” from traditional varieties, meaning they will not be labelled as gene-edited.
Boris Johnson signalled support for reform during his first speech as Prime Minister in 2019, saying: “As we prepare for a post-Brexit future … let’s start now to liberate the UK’s extraordinary bioscience sector from anti-genetic modification rules and let’s develop the blight-resistant crops that will feed the world.”
‘Essential For Our Farmers To Thrive’
Industry figures have welcomed the change. Daniel Pearsall, co-ordinator of the Science for Sustainable Agriculture think-tank, said: “England is now ahead of every other European country in adopting more progressive regulations for these technologies, the first time in more than 30 years that new legislation has been brought forward in this country which seeks to enable, rather than to further restrict, the use of genetic innovation in agriculture.
“We must capitalise on that advantage by promoting early adoption and application of gene editing technologies.”
Daniel Zeichner, minister for food security and rural affairs, told The Telegraph: “Precision breeding could give Britain the power to create food that’s more nutritious, grow crops that can withstand our changing climate and plants that naturally resist disease – all essential for our farmers to thrive and for our nation’s food security.”
Growers will notify the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) of their intention to market GE products before applying to the Food Standards Agency (FSA). The approval system will place PBOs into either a Tier 1 fast-track route for low-risk crops or Tier 2 for those with significant compositional changes. The FSA will make recommendations on whether products should be sold as food or feed, with ministers making the final decision.
Dr Thomas Vincent, deputy director of innovation policy at the FSA, said: “We have developed a robust system for authorising the sale of precision bred products, so the public can be confident that any products that make it through the authorisation process are safe to eat.
“This process gives businesses a clear route to market, supporting growth in the industry, while maintaining high safety standards.”
Among the first innovations could be wheat with reduced levels of asparagine, developed at Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire. The crop could be used in bread, biscuits and cereals, and aims to cut levels of acrylamide, a potential carcinogen formed during baking. Reducing these compounds has been a long-standing goal in the food industry, with gene editing now offering what researchers call a “silver bullet” solution.
