Gene edited tomato notified in Japan
Date: 1 August 2023
Japan is accumulating experience of notifications for genome edited food.
High-GABA-accumulation tomato developed by Sanatechseed through gene editing technology was notified to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) on 27 July 2023.
By inducing mutations in the GABA synthase gene (SlGAD3) using CRISPR/Cas9, the activity of GABA synthase is increased and the gene edited tomatoes accumulate 4.0-5.8 times more GABA than conventional varieties.
GABA has been reported to suppress blood pressure in hypertensive patients and to help reduce stress.
The new line of High-GABA accumulation tomato is generated by targeting same gene as previous line that was notified in 2022 using different variety of tomato as a parent. Japan requests developers to notify by gene-edited line though same gene is edited.
We will continue to advise our customers on Japan’s regulation on gene edited products helping to expand their business opportunities in Japan.
List of notified gene edited products (in Japanese):