A study has shown that genome-edited crops, as with GM crops, are not substantially equivalent to non-genome-edited parent strains. The results indicate that current safety screening methods for genome-edited crops cannot confirm their safety.

Thus far, safety screening for GM foods has been based on the notion that except for differences in the parts of the gene modified they are substantially equivalent. It is on that basis that GM foods have been approved, cultivated, and distributed. However, many experiments have confirmed that gene modification can result in unintended changes that are not present in the parent strain. For example, the GM maize MON810 developed by Monsanto (now Bayer) has been found to produce a 50 kDa ƒÁ-zein allergen protein that is not present in the non-GM parent strain. These findings have, however, been ignored. The notion of the safety of genome-edited crops has been established as an extension of this idea of substantial equivalence. In other words, the safety of genome-edited crops has been assessed on the premise that no changes have occurred except where the gene has been disrupted by splicing the DNA. Now it has become clear that genome editing also causes unintended changes that are not present in the parent strain. Xiao-Jing Liu and colleagues performed two experiments, one comparing the parent strain of non-genome-edited rice with CRISPR-Cas9, and the other comparing non-genome-edited rice with rice whose genome had been modified by base editing (one kind of genome editing).

No backcrosses were used in the experiments. All genome-edited crops developed in Japan are backcrossed. Backcrossing is a method of continually crossing the genome-edited variety with the parent generation and the grandparent generation to remove genes such as those for antibiotic resistance used in genome editing. As Yves Bertheau, Former Director of Research at INRA (French National Institute for Agricultural Research), put it: "We are limited by developer habits, equipment, expertise, and available materials, and moreover have no detailed standardized guidelines." That is why it is pointed out that unintended changes may remain and pose potential dangers.

In the experiment by Xiao-Jing Liu and colleagues, researchers use untargeted transcriptomics to look at gene expression and proteomics to look at protein expression. As a result, transcriptomics showed a large change in gene expression in genome-edited rice using CRISPR-Cas9 (520) and base-edited rice (566) compared to non-genome-edited rice. Proteomics revealed 298 and 54 differences in protein expression, respectively. This reaffirms the profound changes that occur in genome editing. (GM Crops & Food 2023/14 Vol. 1)

The Fisheries Committee, among others, of the Liberal Democratic Party has compiled proposals to strengthen the aquaculture and seafood processing industries. It was indicated that they would ask the government to promote the development of varieties that can withstand high water temperatures through the use of genome editing technology. At the same time, they requested that the intellectual property rights and other rights of the new varieties be protected. (Nikkei Online Edition 2026/4/8)

A series of opinion statements calling for the labeling of genome-edited foods was adopted by local assemblies in February and March, but it has now been revealed that, in addition to the six reported in the previous issue, three further assemblies have adopted such statements. Hanno City assembly in Saitama Prefecture adopted a statement on March 25, as did the Tokushima City assembly in Tokushima Prefecture on March 24. The Katsuura Town Council in Tokushima Prefecture also adopted a statement on an unconfirmed date. The number of local assemblies that have adopted the opinion is now stands at six at the prefectural level, including Aichi Prefecture, and 42 at the municipal level.

Oisix ra daichi and the Niigata Prefecture-based NSG Group (Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd.) have been working together with universities, local governments, companies, and others in Niigata Prefecture on a project to establish a food tech ecosystem in that prefecture. The inaugural meeting of the project was held on April 16, and an executive committee consisting of members including the governor of Niigata Prefecture and the mayor of Niigata City was established. Further, SOSV (New Jersey), a US-based venture company, has also been selected to participate as a partner, a basic agreement being signed with the company on April 1. (Foovo 2026/4/17)