Eat “genome-edited food” September 24, 16:46
A thick American steak was placed in front of me. Meat with a lot of red meat, medium and fried. It is baked nicely. It looks delicious, but there was only one difference from normal steak. It was the oil that boiled meat, that was created by genome editing. What is genome editing oil? Is it okay to eat? (Science and Culture Department Reporter Yuta Mizuno / Social Program Department Director Kenta Horiuchi)
* “Close-up Hyundai +” broadcasted at 10:00 pm today will cover genome-edited foods in Japan and the United States. I will answer your questions in detail.
New food with genome editing
Everyone wants to eat delicious meat and vegetables. Until now, humankind has continued to improve its varieties in order to make food as delicious as possible.
The newest method is “genome editing”. You can rewrite the gene as you intended. By changing part of the gene, potatoes that do not cause food poisoning, berries that contain a lot of vitamins, and rice that has a high yield. Foods with new functions that have never existed before are being produced one after another.
Is “genome-edited food” safe? How will the table change? In August, we were interviewed about this technology and flew to the US where distribution started a little earlier.
As far as I can see ... Genome-edited soybean
I headed to the US Midwest and South Dakota. In the agricultural state where Japanese people rarely go, the same scenery of soybean fields spreads out even if you drive for hours.
I heard that there is a farmer who grows genome-edited soybeans here. We welcomed Mr. and Mrs. Tom Morog from the farmer.
Morrog guided me through the field. Soy is everything on the horizon. All were genome-edited soybeans. This is the first Japanese media coverage of a soybean field with genome editing.
We had only seen that it was made in detail in a laboratory in Japan. I was shocked, "Is this so much more advanced?"
“Nobel Prize sure!” What is a genome-edited food?
Using genome editing technology, you can rewrite the targeted part of the gene pinpoint. In 2012, “CRISPR-Cas9”, a technology that enables easy and inexpensive genome editing, was developed by researchers in the United States and other countries, and research was quickly conducted around the world.
All you need to do is inject a special enzyme. This is a groundbreaking technology that many researchers recognize that the "Nobel Prize is certain".
Even in Japan, Kyoto University and others use genome editing technology to stop working the “genes that suppress muscle development” in red sea bream, and create “thick red sea bream” that is 1.2 times more than usual Developing. However, it is not yet distributed at the research stage.
World's first “genome-edited food”
In the field of Morog in South Dakota, soybeans were cultivated that actually contained a lot of “oleic acid”, which is considered good for the body, by manipulating genes by genome editing.
Mr. Morog, who welcomed our interview from Japan, gave us dinner. That is the steak introduced at the beginning.
Steak baking oil is edible oil made from genome-edited soybeans grown in Mr. Morog's field. (Steak is not genome edited)
This is the oil that a venture company in neighboring Minnesota started selling to restaurants in February, saying that it was “the world's first and commercially sold genome-edited food”.
Mr. and Mrs. Mologg eat steak and bread with oil and balsamic vinegar. “You too, please!” And when I got a knife and fork, “I ’ll have it!” Various things such as “Edit, which gene was manipulated”, etc., but I shook the steak anyway.
The steak was very tasty, and even if I ate it with bread in the oil, it was crisp. However, we ate after knowing that it was a genome-edited food, but I felt that it would be a bit uneasy to eat without knowing. The couple's house uses this oil every day. He showed me the soybean oil in the product.
Then, the label is “Non-GMO (not genetically modified)”. Certainly, although it is genome editing, it is not a genetically modified food. The American system does not require the label “genome-edited food”.
Genome edited food? GMO food?
What is the difference between “genetically modified food” and “genome-edited food”?
In genetically modified foods, genes from other creatures are incorporated from outside to provide new functions. For example, a corn that is resistant to pests can be made by incorporating the genes of “bacteria” that live in the ground.
In contrast, the “genome-edited food” currently being developed only cuts a part of the original gene. Gene cutting may occur naturally and has been used for breeding. For this reason, many scientists believe that safety risks do not change.
However, as a consumer, I'm curious if food is genome-edited. We interviewed Jim Brohm CEO of Calikst, a venture company that sells genome-edited soybean oil.
“Consumers are looking for food that is not genetically modified. There is no problem with the fact that oil is not genetically modified and is good for the body. We follow the procedure that the government requires.”
“OK with notification” “No obligation to display”
In Japan, a system for distribution of genome-edited foods has been decided, and distribution will be lifted from October. The system is not much different from the United States, and companies that develop genome-edited foods can sell them by “notifying” the country.
In the case of genetically modified foods, it is obliged to undergo a safety review by the national “Food Safety Committee”. However, this review is no longer necessary for genome-edited foods that are currently being developed. The reason is that there is no difference in risk and breeding technology used in breeding.
In addition, it is not obligatory to indicate that it is a “genome-edited food”, and it is now possible to sell it without displaying it. The country is asking as much as possible for the companies that sell.
Genome-edited food that is being developed in Japan. Sales of tomatoes that contain many ingredients that lower blood pressure are expected to start as early as this year. American companies are also eager to export to Japan.
Genome-edited food market that is expected to expand in the future. Many scientists say it is safe. Distribution in Japan is about to begin, but there is a need for an environment that allows consumers to buy with confidence.
Do you choose when genome-edited foods are usually lined up in the supermarkets you always go to?