CRISPR gene-edited strawberries developed by American agricultural company J.R. Simplot have entered the United States food supply, raising questions about transparency and consumers’ ability to identify genetically modified products.
Epidemiologist Nicholas Hulscher has highlighted the development, citing information from the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) indicating that Simplot confirmed in early 2026 that limited quantities of its genetically engineered strawberries were being distributed through its US wholesale foodservice operations.
The company has not publicly disclosed which restaurants or foodservice businesses have purchased the strawberries, leaving consumers with little information about where the products are being served.
Simplot developed the strawberries in partnership with Plant Sciences Inc., using CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology to alter the plants’ natural flowering characteristics.
According to a 2026 scientific presentation by Simplot, researchers disabled a flowering-regulation gene known as Gn1, allowing the plants to produce fruit over an extended growing period.
The genetic modification was discussed with the US Food and Drug Administration during a voluntary premarket meeting on 4 December 2024. Earlier, in August 2020, the US Department of Agriculture determined that the genome-edited strawberries were not subject to its plant-biotechnology regulations.
Hulscher has raised concerns about exemptions under America’s National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard, which generally requires qualifying bioengineered food products to carry appropriate disclosures.
However, restaurants and similar foodservice establishments are expressly exempt from mandatory disclosure requirements.
As a result, consumers eating strawberries in restaurants or other foodservice settings may not be informed that the fruit was developed using CRISPR technology.
The development highlights growing concerns about transparency in the food supply and whether consumers are being given sufficient information to make informed choices about genetically engineered products.
Image credit: Ioana Cristana
