Wha'd life be without homegrown tomatoes

Sanatech Seed launches genome edited tomato: “We hope that our products will be useful for your health" Source: Sanatech Seed

A Japanese friend sent me a picture of his greenhouse with caption : "Ready for gene-edited tomatoes". The seedlings will be shipped in May, right in time for the new season. My friend is no farmer, nor is he a researcher working at a seed company. He is accountant by training and devoted gardener by passion. It has not been widely covered in the media, but the first commercial gene-edited tomato will be made available in Japan as seedlings for home garden use. Home gardeners can sign up to join an online cultivation group. By doing so, the grower agrees that he himself will plant, harvest and eat the tomatoes and refrain from reselling seeds or fruits. 

The gene-edited tomato "Sicilian Rouge High GABA” my friend has ordered, is developed by the University of Tsukuba and startup Sanatech Seed. It contains high levels of GABA, an amino acid that is found in animals and plants and has been marketed for human consumption as a remedy for elevated blood pressure and stress. Last year, new regulatory guidelines for gene edited products were established in Japan. Under these guidelines, products like the GABA tomato are not considered GMO, although engagement with the regulatory agencies prior to commercialization is requested. 

Noteworthy is the fact that Europe and UK will be (sumo) wrestling to regulate gene-editing technology for the next decade or so while in countries like Japan, home gardeners can buy their gene-edited products already today online.