China approves first gene-edited crop; Which crop is it and is it safe?

China has granted safety approval for a gene-edited soybean developed by Shandong Shunfeng Biotechnology Co, marking the first time the country has approved the technology for a crop. The soybean has two modified genes, which increases the level of oleic acid, a healthy fat, in the plant. The approval is valid for five years from April 21, 2023. 

Gene editing is considered less risky than genetic modification, as it alters existing genes rather than introducing foreign ones. Shunfeng claims to be the first Chinese company looking to commercialise gene-edited crops and is researching around 20 other crops, including higher-yield rice, wheat and corn, herbicide-resistant rice and soybeans, and vitamin C-rich lettuce.

Approval of the gene-edited soybean is expected to boost food production in China amid trade tensions, erratic weather, and war in major grain exporter Ukraine, which have raised concerns about feeding the country's 1.4 billion people. Additionally, a growing middle class in China is facing a surge in diet-related diseases. China is also promoting GMO crops and began large-scale trials of GM corn this year. Due to the fewer regulatory steps involved, gene-edited crops are expected to reach the market faster.

Japan has also approved gene-edited foods, including healthier tomatoes and faster-growing fish, while in the United States, Calyxt developed a high oleic soybean that was the first gene-edited food to be approved in 2019. Several additional approvals are still needed before the gene-edited soybean can be planted by Chinese farmers, including approval of seed varieties with the tweaked genes.

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