UK Approves Year-Round Genetically Edited Strawberries

Strawberries could soon be a year-round treat on British supermarket shelves thanks to a new genetically edited variety hitting the final approval stage. These fruits typically define the summer season, but scientists have tweaked their DNA to keep them fresh longer. The project comes from US firm Simplot and involves turning off specific genes to stretch the harvest window.

A notice released by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs confirms that the genetic alteration targets the Terminal Flower 1 gene, known as Tfl1. By knocking out one or more alleles of this gene, developers created a remontant strawberry. This term describes a plant with an altered flowering pattern that produces fruit repeatedly rather than just once. The official document states clearly that these DNA changes do not alter the composition or nutrition of the fruit.

Eight different varieties submitted for review all boast this extended growing season. If the Food Standards Agency gives the green light, consumers could see them in local shops very soon. The process relied on CRISPR/Cas9 technology, often called molecular scissors, to precisely cut the Tfl1 gene until it stopped functioning properly.

Bringing more British strawberries to market would help lower reliance on imports from Spain, Morocco, and Egypt during cooler winter months. One UK company based near Chichester has already managed a full 12-month growing season using innovative LED technology and a combined heat and power plant to recreate optimal spring conditions indoors. That achievement used different methods than the gene editing in question here.

The new fruit carries a distinct advantage: its genetic changes are ones that could have occurred naturally over many decades through traditional breeding methods. Alongside these strawberries, gene-edited tomatoes developed by the John Innes Centre in Norfolk are also up for review. It is worth noting the spelling difference between the centre and institute mentioned in similar reports regarding the same research efforts.

A new type of tomato has been engineered to pack as much vitamin D into its flesh as two eggs or 28 grams of tuna. Scientists achieved this by switching off a specific gene that normally converts vitamin D3 into cholesterol. This change forces the nutrient to stay trapped within the leaves and fruit instead of disappearing. Defra stated that such fortified crops could play a major role in fighting endemic vitamin D deficiency, particularly during autumn and winter when sunlight is scarce.

Professor Cathie Martin leads the lab developing these tomatoes. She insists all new plant varieties undergo strict testing before approval. These crops will meet exactly the same high standards. "I am passionate about science supporting public health," she said. "With vitamin D deficiency a widespread problem, our biofortified tomato could one day be a low–cost, simple, plant–based solution that can improve diets across the world." She added that this marks an important step toward getting the tomato approved to go to market in England.

Once these products reach supermarket shelves, they will not require a label identifying them as gene-edited. Gene editing involves making small, specific changes to existing DNA or removing sections of it. The process differs from genetic modification because it does not add new genes to the crop. Scientists have also produced disease-resistant potatoes and high-fat barley for feeding cows. They even created wheat with lower levels of a cancer-linked chemical. All of these projects received a marketing notice from Defra earlier this year.

Earlier in the year, scientists announced they had bred cows with elite genetics that could appear on UK supermarket shelves in just three years. Experts in the US developed a way to make sperm from superior bulls more available to breeders. Their project is called Surrogate Sires. It involves genetically editing regular bulls to make them sterile so they produce no sperm of their own. These animals then receive an injection of stem cells taken from the testicles of another bull with first-class genetics.

When these surrogate bulls go on to breed, they pass on top-grade genes from the donor bull. Their offspring will contain superior traits that make their meat taste better. As a result, the most desirable steaks from Wagyu and Black Angus cows could soon become more widely available. This approach offers a practical way to upgrade livestock without altering the public food supply chain in ways people might fear.