A National Geographic article from last year provided an overview of the “Next Food Revolution.” Many others have written or spoke about gene-editing techniques, and several scientists have been voicing their opinions about the process. The method has the potential to change the foods we eat—boosting flavor, disease resistance, and yields—but views differ about how fast to proceed, especially with animal-based foods. The direction this science takes could depend on consumer acceptance, so credible information is a key. Scores of opinions, articles, and reports surface weekly about gene-editing issues, and here are links to six recent posts about this exciting topic. 

Greg Jaffe (CSPI Biotechnology Director) thinks the federal government should establish a national gene-edited-crops registry so that consumers, journalists, food companies, and anyone else who is interested can easily identify the gene-edited crops and ingredients in our food. “To do so will help allay consumer concerns about this emerging technology and allow the benefits of this new technology to be realized.” 

Alison Van Eenennaam (UC-Davis) says the proposed regulatory approach for genome editing in animals will effectively make it cost prohibitive for both U.S. researchers and livestock producers to use and potentially benefit from genome editing in food animal breeding programs. She points out that more than 300 scientists support a petition calling for the harmonization of U.S. gene-edited food regulations that was launched in January at the 2019 Plant and Animal Genome meeting.