China approves safety of first gene-edited soybean crop to boost food security
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According to a recent report, China has approved the safety of the first gene-edited crop: the soybean.
Shandong Shunfeng Biotechnology Co., Ltd. created this gene-edited soybean. The company altered two genes in the soybean to increase the plant's healthy fat oleic acid levels.
The safety certificate has been approved for five years, beginning April 21, according to a document issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
This is China's first move, which has been working relentlessly to increase food production using this technique.
In this technique, the crop's genes are altered to make it healthier or more resistant to environmental stress. Meanwhile, genetic modification involves the introduction of foreign genes from another plant to improve its efficiency. Gene editing is a less risky approach to improving crop performance than genetic modification.
According to reports, China also established gene-editing trial rules last year to improve food security and meet the growing demand of the world's largest population.
Although there is still a long way to go before farmers in China can cultivate the gene-edited soybean, the most crucial step in the regulatory process is the approval of gene-edited seed varieties that can be used.
Shunfeng is said to be the first company in China to work on commercializing gene-edited crops. The privately held company has been studying 20 other gene-edited crops, including rice, wheat, corn, herbicide-resistant rice, soybeans, and lettuce, with high vitamin C levels.
In addition, China is also working on genetically modified crops, with this large-scale trials of corn varieties expected this year.
The United States has also been working hard in this area. Company Calyxt received approval in 2019 for the first gene-edited soybean in the United States.
Several other countries are also experimenting with gene-edited crops; for example, Japan has approved gene-edited tomatoes and faster-growing fish. In March 2023, England legalized the commercial development of gene-edited food.
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