Gene-edited mushroom does not require regulatory intervention

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has told a plant pathologist, who employed a gene-editing technique normally used for modifying human embryos to engineer a mushroom, that the cultivation and sale would not be regulated as it contains no “foreign DNA”. Yinong Yang used the CRISPR technique to alter the DNA of the common white button mushroom to delete some enzymes, which turned the fungi brown after being cut, thereby reducing food waste. The White House has previously warned the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the USDA that science was outpacing current biotech regulations.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it doesn't need to regulate the cultivation and sale of a genetically modified mushroom because the organism in question doesn't contain any foreign DNA.

The decision is the first of its kind regarding an organism modified using CRISPR — a relatively new gene-editing technique that's better known for its applications modifying human embryos than vegetables. Unlike older methods used to create GMOs, CRISPR doesn't insert DNA from viruses and bacteria into target organisms to create its intended effects, and for this reason, the gene-edited mushroom doesn't fall under the USDA's regulatory framework.

The USDA says no foreign DNA means the mushrooms aren't a threat to other plants

In a letter to Yinong Yang, the plant pathologist who developed the mushroom, the USDA states that it believes the genetically edited mushrooms "do not contain any introduced genetic material." Therefore, it "has no reason to believe that [they] are plant pests."

The mushroom in question is a version of the common white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus), genetically tweaked to reduce browning when cut. By deleting some of the genes responsible for creating the enzymes that power this reaction, Yang was able to reduce browning in the species by 30 percent. Doing so will increase the shelf life of the mushroom (reducing food waste), and also make it easier to harvest used automated farming methods.