Dive Brief:
- Researchers at the University of Copenhagen are pushing a new type of genetic modification for plants, which they call "rewilding," but debates surround the process as to whether the plants would still be called GMOs.
- With rewilding, instead of introducing a gene from another species, researchers would add in a gene from an ancient variety of the same plant.
- Due to varying definitions of what genetic modification entails, in the U.S., rewilding could produce products that could be labeled "non-GMO" since the gene comes from the same plant. In Europe, however, where the genetic modification proceess is entirely prohibited, the product would not be allowed.
Dive Insight:
Experts argue that in the U.S., part of the debate would stem from the legal definition of organic foods, which means that no "foreign" gene has been introduced. Whether a gene from an ancient version of the plant would be considered foreign is where the debate becomes muddled.
Some researchers claim that rewilding could enable farmers to plant crops that could resist certain plant-related ailments, such as flooding or drought. Others believe that genetic modification is genetic modification no matter what the motive might be. So, as usual with the GMO debate, both sides are difficult to move.