In October 2024, the Government of Japan (GOJ) added a genome edited potato to the list of genome edited products not subject to regulations for genetically engineered food and feed. This is the seventh genome edited product added to the list and the second product developed a by a non-Japanese company. The U.S. company, J.R. Simplot Company, developed the potato product using CRISPR-Cas9 technology to have a high tuber set.
General Information:
The J.R. Simplot Company developed a genome edited potato product using CRISPR-Cas9 technology to knock out the “Gn2” gene by deleting 110 base pair, which resulted in a higher tuber set. In October 2024, Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) 1 and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) regulatory authorities added the potato to the list of genome edited products that are not subject to Japan’s GE food and feed regulations. For more information, see CAA’s website for Food Safety information, and MAFF’s website for Feed Safety information (Japanese only). As Japan restricts the import of U.S. fresh potatoes due to plant health sanitary and phytosanitary concerns, MAFF considers a biodiversity notification unnecessary.
Background:
The CAA and MAFF request that all developers and/or companies that seek regulatory review of genome edited products in Japan undergo a consultation and notification process prior to commercialization in Japan. See JA2020- 0184 for additional details about the policies and procedures for genome edited foods and agricultural products.
As of March 2025, CAA and MAFF have seven products to their lists of genome edited products that are not subject to Japan’s GE food and feed regulations, including two tomatoes with high GABA content, a high-yield seabream fish, a fast-growing tiger pufferfish, waxy corn, a fast growing olive flounder, and the high-tuber potato. — By Suguru Sato, USDA Foreign Ag Service
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