News

2026-06-25

News on (commercialised) genome-edited organisms

In some countries, organisms generated using New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) are not considered as GMOs. In the European Union, genome-edited (GE) organisms are subject to the rules of the GMO legislation. Therefore, no products obtained by NGTs are authorised for marketing in the EU.

On 17 June 2026, the European Parliament approved the Regulation on plants obtained by certain NGTs and their products. After entering into force and a subsequent 2-year implementation period, it will exempt certain Category 1 NGT plants from the requirements of existing GMO legislation in the EU (see European Commission).

Please note that the information about the commercialisation status is not available for all GE-organisms entered in EUginius.

Regulatory approvals for a genome-edited non-browing banana were granted in Japan and Brazil in April 2026, allowing the import, sale, and consumption of the product in both countries. In addition, Brazil approved its cultivation (see Crop Biotech Update, ISAAA).
In January 2026, Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) approved the sale of PRRSV-resistant pigs for food and feed use in Canada (see Crop Biotech Update, ISAAA). These pigs were developed by the Pig Improvement Company (PIC), a subsidiary of Genus. After similar approvals in the United States, Brazil, Columbia and the Dominican Republic the company is also seeking approval in Mexico and Japan.
India approved two genome-edited rice varieties, DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) and Pusa DST Rice 1, developed using CRISPR/Cas9, for cultivation in May 2025 (see Crop Biotech Update, ISAAA).
In 2023 the company Pairwise announced to commercialise leafy greens that eat like lettuce made from a mild mustard generated using CRISPR/Cas12a (GE-Low pungency mustard). Initially, the leafy greens, marketed as “Conscious™ Greens”, will be shipped to restaurants in the USA before going into wider distribution at stores (see Crop Biotech Update, ISAAA).
The CRISPR-edited Waxy Corn (GE-CRISPR-Cas Waxy Corn) is deregulated in the USA (see USDA APHIS), Japan (see Crop Biotech Update, ISAAA), and other countries. Waxy corn is a special maize exclusively containing amylopectin as starch and therefore provides distinct characteristics for food or industry.
In 2022 the FDA determined the intentional genetic alteration (IGA) in the genome-edited heat tolerant cattle (GE-PRLR-SLICK cattle) to be low-risk and had no objections against the marketing of products derived from the two-genome edited cattle and their progeny.
Two CRISPR edited fish (GE-mstn red sea bream, GE-lepr tiger pufferfish) have been approved for sale in Japan in 2021 (see Crop Biotech Update, ISAAA). Both fish were developed to grow larger than conventional fish for an increased meat portion.
Japan approved the commercial sale of the Sicilian Rouge High GABA tomato in 2021 (GE-high GABA tomato, see Crop Biotech Update, ISAAA).
In 2019 the first gene-edited food touched the market in the USA (see Crop Biotech Update, ISAAA): high-oleic soybean oil (marketed as CalynoTM, produced from GE-FAD2KO Soybean).