Popular_Science_Australia_November_2016

The biggest mistake we can make, as a curious and

concerned public, is to prematurely vilify CRISPR and

the food it makes. We should instead push for informed,

science-based evaluation. It could help improve the

global food supply. The whole reason for this mushroom

is that it resists bruising during harvest and browning

in your fridge. That means you’re more likely to eat it

instead of tossing it. And CRISPR itself opens up a new

world of food development, since it’s cheap and easy to

use, making it accessible to smaller labs and breaking Big

Agriculture’s GMO monopoly.

So let’s not stall this science at a time when better,

hardier, more efficiently grown food is a rising need.

Gene editing requires funding and research—but it also

requires public support to make it viable. There is great

potential for smaller companies to make food that can

nourish a growing population without harming the

planet. Traditional bioengineering has a very high bar for

entry. CRISPR lowers it: It democratises the technology

so engineered plants are not just the domain of a handful

of huge companies making feed crops, but can be done by

one guy in a university lab with a great idea.

Illustration by MARCO GORAN ROMANO

By JEN SCHWARTZ

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science-based

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