Gene-altered superfruits with longer shelf lives are headed for the UK
4 May 2025, 09:51
Fruits with boosted vitamins and longer expiry dates could be in UK supermarkets as early as next year.
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Some of the products expected to arrive in the UK are strawberries that stay fresh for a month, bananas that don’t go brown, and tomatoes with boosted Vitamin D content.
The fruits reportedly also have a lower environmental impact, and even boast a better taste.
Traditionally, genetically modifying food is the process of splicing and swapping genes between plants, in the hopes of swapping beneficial traits.
But as science develops, scientists are increasingly able to edit genetic code without transplantation.
Read More: Thousands of UK deaths every year linked to ultra-processed foods
The government is processing legislation that will allow these foods to be sold in the UK. Already passed through the Commons, the proposed rules have their final reading in the Lords on Tuesday.
Several companies have already expressed interest in selling their genetically modified fruit to the UK.
As well as Tropic, a UK company who have developed browning-resistant bananas, US biotech company Simplot hopes to sell its long-life strawberries to the UK.
Genetically modified has been on the government’s agenda since its conception - but it’s previously been a tough sell in the UK.
But as food waste, prices and population sizes grow, the pressure to be more resourceful with our food is growing.
