Vitamin-rich, genetically edited tomato a step closer

New Bill will slice through EU red tape and enable scientists and farmers to produce pest-free crops

GENETICALLY EDITED tomatoes that top up vitamin D levels and may even act like statins to lower cholesterol could soon feature on supermarket shelves.

The Government will tomorrow introduce a Bill to replace EU red tape which prevents foods from being enhanced, freeing up scientists and farmers to grow more nutritious and pest-resistant crops.

Field trials of a new tomato which has been genetically edited to contain more vitamin D will begin on June 1 at the John Innes Centre in Norwich.

Researchers, who published their work in the journal Nature Plants, said eating two medium-sized tomatoes would help people meet their daily recommended level of the vitamin, which is essential for healthy bones, teeth and boosting the immune system. Around one in six adults in the UK has low levels of vitamin D in their blood.

Prof Cathie Martin, of the John Innes Centre, said the type of vitamin D produced by the tomatoes was particularly beneficial for the over-70s. “Eating a tomato is so much better than taking a pill,” she said. “It might also act to inhibit cholesterol and reinforce pro Vitamin D 3 production and that would act like a statin. These are really exciting possibilities that we need to test.”

The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill, will allow the production of crops which could have theoretically been bred naturally, albeit over very long timescales, by switching genes on or off.

Although the practice is not technically banned, current EU restrictions require arduous scientific safety assessments, which can take around five years, and are too expensive and timeconsuming to make it worthwhile for breeders.

If the new law is passed, which is likely before the end of the year, it effectively rules that gene editing is safe as long as the changes could have been bred naturally over time without needing to insert genetic material from a different species. For the new tomato, scientists have knocked out an enzyme which converts vitamin D3 into cholesterol so that it stays in the leaves and fruit. Although the new fruit is likely to be some years off, the Bill will free up the importation of genetically edited foods and crops, which could be on supermarket shelves this year.

Companies such as Us-based Calyxt already produce oils from genetically edited soybeans which have 20 per cent less saturated fat. As well as breeding crops that are more nutritious, the law

‘It might also act to inhibit cholesterol and reinforce pro Vitamin D3 production and act like a statin’

change will allow the production of plants which are naturally resistant to pests, cutting the need for pesticides, and can make species able to withstand climate change.

Gideon Henderson, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said the new tomato was a good example of how precision breeding could be used to improve crops. “It’s a fortuitously welltimed example of the use of gene editing to build better crops,” he said.

The new Bill will also open the door to genetically editing animals, although scientists would need to prove that there would be no danger to animal welfare, and secondary legislation would be needed before researchers could begin experiments.