Tropic, a pioneering agricultural biotechnology company in the United Kingdom using CRISPR gene editing to improve traits in bananas and coffee, has announced that their non-browning gene-edited banana was technically evaluated and determined to be a non-GMO by the Philippines Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry. This banana is the first gene-edited product to go through the Philippines' gene editing regulatory process.

Tropic's non-browning gene-edited bananas have the potential to significantly reduce food waste and CO2 emissions by more than 25%, as over 60% of exported bananas go to waste before reaching the consumer. This innovative product can support a reduction in CO2 emissions equivalent to removing 2 million passenger vehicles from the road each year. With this determination, the Tropic non-browning banana can be freely imported and propagated in the Philippines.

Dr. Ofir Meir, Tropic's Chief Technology Officer said, “The Philippines government has implemented a science-based, transparent, and efficient process for assessing the safety of gene-edited plants.  This is exactly the type of system that encourages companies like Tropic to invest in innovative technologies to develop sustainable solutions for Filipino farmers.”

For more details, read the news release from Tropic.

https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=20135