Scientists at Washington State University (WSU) have made history by cooking the first sausage in the United States (US) made from gene-edited pork.
Today, things have changed dramatically. The meat industry is public enemy number one in terms of greenhouse gas emissions from food production, so plant-based or meat-free diets are gaining popularity.
Scientists are also thinking of ways so that those who still feel the need to eat meat from real animals, can still consume meat while still being environmentally friendly. This gene-engineered pork sausage is one example. This is something that has never been allowed for human consumption.
For Jon Oatley, a professor in the School of Molecular Biosciences at WSU School of Veterinary Medicine, this is an important step for the future of meat consumption, not only from a technological standpoint, but also from a bureaucratic standpoint.
"The original purpose of making these animals was to try to improve the way we feed people. And we can't do that unless we can work with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) system to get these animals into the food chain," he was quoted as saying from IFL Science.
However, this genetically modified pork will not be available to the public in the near future. Currently, the FDA's authorization for meat is 'investigative' only. That is, the FDA only ensures that there is no health hazard posed by the meat.
It should be noted, the FDA has not signed off on the manufacture or large-scale sale of gene-edited meat. Meanwhile, the five little pigs that make up the sausage are the only ones that actually get approval.
"It's important for the university to set a precedent by working with federal regulators to get these animals into the food supply. If we don't go through that process, all the research we do will be for nothing because it will never be published," Oatley said.
While the idea of genetically engineered food hasn't caught on among the American public, the beef and pork that have now made it past the FDA's initial hurdles are the result of a particular type of technology known as CRISPR.
At its heart, CRISPR is a high-tech form of selective breeding. In pigs for example, pigs' genes are edited to allow them to be used as 'surrogate sires' or father piglets using DNA from other males rather than their own. This increases the farmer's ability to spread valuable genetics throughout the herd.
"There's confidence that comes with university-based research. At WSU, everything we do is about the science. We just want to make sure the research is valid, and the animals we produce are healthy," Oatley concluded.