(NaturalPath) According to an article posted by EcoWatch.com, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it will not regulate the potential cultivation and sale of a genetically modified (GMO) mushroom the same way it regulates conventional GMOs because the mushroom was made with the genome-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9.
The USDA approved a common white button mushroom that’s engineered to be more resistant to browning out of Pennsylvania State University.
Here is an excerpt from the press release by the USDA.
“The anti-browning trait reduces the formation of brown pigment (melanin). Improving the appearance and shelf life of mushroom, and facilitating automated mechanical harvesting…APHIS has no reason to believe that CROSPR/Cas9-edited white button mushrooms are plant pests.”
Some critics note that this could be a slippery slope and somewhat of a loophole that certain GMOs can avoid the regulatory system just because they only took away genes instead of also adding some foreign genes to give crops pest resistance.
The mushroom may not be brought to market due to the public criticism of GMOS, so don’t look for the GMO mushroom anytime soon.
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.