Different types of genome-edited foods, such as crops and fish, are increasing, but consumers are not embracing them, and they are not becoming widely consumed. Japan is the most advanced country in the development and marketing of these products, with Sanatech Seed Co. selling two varieties of high-GABA tomatoes (cherry and medium-sized), and Regional Fish Institute Ltd. marketing three varieties: a fleshy red sea bream, a Japanese flatfish, and a fat pufferfish. Another genome-edited crop notified to the authorities in Japan is waxy corn (glutinous corn), developed by Corteva Agriscience, grown in the United States and scheduled for marketing to the world, but does not appear to have come onto the market yet.

Other crops under development include sink function modified rice and low-glutelin semi-dwarf rice developed by NARO, alkaloid-reduced potatoes developed by RIKEN, and a high-stress-resistant rice developed by Shimane University. Rice is the main crop involved, but there are no prospects for commercialization of any of these varieties.

In fish, shrimp are being developed by Regional Fish Institute Ltd, and chub mackerel are being developed by Kyushu University and the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, but while these are easily aquafarmed, commercialization still seems a long way off. Regional Fish is also developing high-temperature-resistant Japanese flatfish using epigenome editing technology.

One unusual development is the modification of crickets by Gryllus. There are three types of modified crickets: fast-growing, hypoallergenic, and whitish-skinned, but the reality is that crickets themselves are not accepted as food. Hiroshima University and Kewpie have jointly developed a chicken that lays hypoallergenic eggs, and clinical trials are currently underway at Sagamihara Hospital.

Looking at the situation overseas, there are many examples of development cases being advertised with great fanfare, the spectacular publicity being for the purposes of procuring funding. However, genome-edited crops or animals are totally unregulated in most countries and regions, and it is unclear whether any have actually been marketed or not. There do not appear to have been any successful cases thus far. Genome-edited crops grown and distributed in the United States have included sulfonylurea herbicide-resistant rapeseed and high-oleic acid soybeans. The rapeseed was developed by Cybus USA, but when a group of citizens later raised funds to analyze the entire genome at a research institute in the United States, it was discovered that the rapeseed had not been developed using genome-editing technology. Calyxt, the company that developed the high-oleic acid soybeans, had to withdraw from the market after its share price plummeted immediately after it began selling the seeds and soy cooking oil. Cybus and Calyxt later merged.

Next on the scene was mustard, a less spicy mustard developed by Pairwise. As the market for this mustard also did not expand, Bayer stepped in and began selling it nationwide. More recently, Pairwise has been developing seedless blackberries. Intrexon has developed a romaine lettuce which is resistant to discoloration; this lettuce has already hit the market or is about to do so. The oilseed Camelina, with increased oil yield, developed by Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. in the US, has been approved for cultivation in Canada.

In Europe, the UK's Rothamsted Research Institute has developed a wheat with reduced acrylamide. The Swiss Agroscope and the Free University of Berlin have teamed up to conduct field trials of a high-yield barley. In northern Italy, a field of blast-resistant rice was completely mowed down near Pavia in Lombardy.

In Australia, a state-owned company has begun testing genome-edited wheat. Hundreds of varieties are being tested to develop varieties that are more nutritious, stronger, higher-yielding, and use less water, fertilizer and chemicals.

In China, the Huazhong Agricultural University is developing herbicide-resistant wheat and the Chinese Academy of Sciences is developing wheat resistant to mildew.

In the Philippines, the Japanese company Sanatech Seed has gained approval to sell tomatoes. Tropic Biosciences has also won approval to grow and sell a banana resistant to discoloration in the Philippines.

In animals, Recombinetics developed hornless dairy cattle that initially served as a billboard for its genome-editing technology. The company had plans for a large-scale introduction of the cattle into Brazil, but the discovery of three antibiotic-resistance genes sidelined the billboard, and the plan to introduce the cattle into Brazil collapsed. The company has since developed cattle that have a thinner hair coat and are more resistant to heat.

Washington State University developed a pig that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for distribution as food. The pig was developed using a method known as "surrogate sire." It was genome edited to destroy the male pig's fertility genes, implanted with the reproductive stem cells of another male, creating a male pig that produced "desirable sperm." This sperm was then used to create piglets and it was the meat derived from these piglets that was approved for distribution.

Tilapia is an example of fish being developed overseas. The Centre for Aquaculture Technologies is developing more than 25 species of fish, with tilapia being the most advanced due to its strong character, fertility, and rapid generational change.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has rated as "safe" the "heme molecule," whose safety has been a cause for concern and which gives the color and flavor of the blood used in the controversial Impossible Burger. The heme molecule, made by having GM microorganisms produce soybean leghemoglobin, gives the meat produced from soybeans the color and flavor of meat from animal sources, which is what makes the Impossible Burger so popular. While the EFSA has rated the molecule as safe, it has not been approved and EFSA has asked the company for more information. (Foovo 2024/8/6)

On July 8, the Food Authority of Singapore approved the import of 16 insects and their processed products for food and feed. The insects include locusts, crickets, silkworms and honeybees. On June 25, Shinshu University-based Morus Inc. announced plans to sell silkworm-derived protein foods. (JETRO 2024/7/26)

The Chinese company Origin Agritech announced on June 12 that it has developed, using genome editing technology, a maize variety that can be grown at high density. The company, based in Beijing and established in 1997, is registered in the British Virgin Islands and is also developing glyphosate-resistant and insecticidal crops. (Nikkei Biotech Online 2024/7/18)

JGC Holdings Corporation will establish a bioprocess laboratory in Kobe City as a base for biotechnology research. The laboratory is scheduled to be completed in December 2025 and will firstly focus on R&D for hydrogen bacteria. (Nikkei Biotech Online 2024/7/19)

In Japan, genome-edited crops and fish are being developed not only by the national government and private companies but also by local agricultural and fishery research institutions. The Fruit Tree Research Center of the Ehime Prefecture Research Institute of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is leading the way in developing genome-edited citrus fruits. The Aichi Agricultural Research Center is developing new varieties of genome-edited flowering plants (carnations and chrysanthemums). While not developing them themselves, the Agricultural Technology Research Center of the Hiroshima Prefectural Technology Research Institute is supporting companies that are developing new varieties using genome-edited technologies.

The following municipalities participated in the government-sponsored project to develop genome-edited agricultural and fishery products between FY2014 and FY2018; The Toyama Prefectural Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Research Center; Nagasaki Prefectural Fisheries Experimental Station; Shizuoka Prefectural Research Institute of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; Kagoshima Prefectural Agricultural Development Research Center; Miyazaki Prefectural Agricultural Experiment Station; Miyagi Prefectural Furukawa Agricultural Experiment Station; Ehime Prefecture Research Institute of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and Saga Prefectural Fruit Tree Experiment Station. The Nagasaki Prefectural Fisheries Experiment Station is currently involved in the development of genome-edited tuna.

On July 31, the Consumer Affairs Agency's Food Sanitation Standards Auditing Department responded to an open letter jointly submitted by the Consumers Union of Japan and the No! Genetically Modified Foods Campaign calling for regulations on genetically modified foods. The agency responded to the open letter stating that, as up to now, it would not regulate genetically modified food. The reasons given were that there are no foreign genes or parts of such genes remaining in the foods, and that there are no safety concerns about the associated genetic changes, which can also occur in nature.