[ALERT] “Frankenfruit” Coming to Your Grocery Store?

There were no press conference… no headlines.

In fact, you’re not even going to get a warning label…

The federal government just cleared the way for a frightening new experiment in how millions of Americans eat their food.

I’m talking about food that has had its DNA manipulated…

And that scientists have warned could come with serious health risks.

This is the dawn of Frankenstein-level fruits and vegetables in your grocery store.

But we’ll give you all the facts… including how to stay safe.

Now you might not eat a lot of goldenberry: a small, bright orange berry sometimes called “ground cherry.”

But it’s about to take center stage in the debate over when manipulating our fruits and vegetables goes too far.

The USDA just cleared a version of goldenberry using CRISPR gene-editing technology, a powerful tool that allows scientists to make precise changes to a plant’s DNA.

CRISPR gene-edited lettuce and mustard greens are already being sold in America. And there are more crops in the pipeline.

Here’s why this matters:

Unlike older GMOs, many gene-edited crops don’t go through the same lengthy regulatory process.

And in some cases, they may not require special labeling.

That means these foods can move from lab to field to store shelf without most consumers realizing anything has changed.

Now, the agricultural industry claims that CRISPR gene editing can increase crop yield and improve shelf life.

That’s fantastic for them… but what about the folks like us who eat the food?

Well, a couple years ago, researchers were already warning about “serious biosafety concerns” with this new technology. Among them, creating new allergens, altering the nutritional content of food, and transferring modified genes to other crops.

We just don’t know the long-term health effects of this food… and that’s a fact.

Even more concerning, the technology is highly patented, which could place control of our food supply into the hands of a few large biotech corporations.

And here’s the bigger question:

As gene-edited produce becomes more common — shouldn’t consumers be explicitly informed?

If you’ve been with us for a while, you may remember when we first wrote about CRISPR back in 2018.

At the time, it was being hailed as the scientific breakthrough of the century—a kind of genetic “cut-and-paste” tool that could edit DNA like scissors trimming ribbon. Scientists were already experimenting on human embryos. Cancer patients overseas were receiving edited cells. The promise? Erase disease. Rewrite destiny.

But even then, cracks were showing.

Researchers warned that some cells resist editing. And cells that don’t repair properly? Some experts cautioned they could become “ticking time bombs,” potentially increasing cancer risk.

Fast forward to today.

We’ve moved from embryo labs and experimental therapies…to edited food quietly entering the marketplace.

So what can we do?

Well, in the meantime, your best bet is to buy your produce locally, and to stick with organic fruits and vegetables as much as possible. This produce is grown without CRISPR technology, and without all the frightening chemicals that are doused on our food.

CRISPR is no longer theoretical. It’s agricultural. Commercial. Scalable.

And until we fully understand the effects, it’s up to all of us to keep ourselves safe.

To knowing what’s on your plate,

Ray Thatcher
Research Director, Health Sciences Institute

Sources:

• Movahedi A, Aghaei-Dargiri S, Li H, Zhuge Q, Sun W. CRISPR Variants for Gene Editing in Plants: Biosafety Risks and Future Directions. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Nov 13;24(22):16241. doi: 10.3390/ijms242216241. PMID: 38003431; PMCID: PMC10671001.
• Study Finds Staff. (2026, February 17). Gene-edited goldenberries pass USDA review. Study Finds. https://studyfinds.com/gene-edited-goldenberries-pass-usda-review/
• Ahmad A, Jamil A and Munawar N (2023) GMOs or non-GMOs? The CRISPR Conundrum. Front. Plant Sci. 14:1232938. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1232938