CRISPR Gene-Edited Strawberries Have Entered the U.S. Food Supply Without Required Labeling

The genetically engineered fruit developed by SIMPLOT is being distributed through U.S. wholesale foodservice channels.

by Nicolas Hulscher, MPH

CRISPR gene-edited strawberries have quietly entered the American food supply.

According to the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN), agricultural giant J.R. Simplot confirmed in early 2026 that some quantities of its genetically engineered strawberries were being sold through its U.S. Wholesale Foodservice division.

The company has not publicly identified which restaurants or foodservice establishments are purchasing the fruit.

Simplot partnered with Plant Sciences Inc. to develop strawberries using CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology. According to Simplot’s 2026 scientific presentation, they disabled a flowering-regulation gene identified as Gn1, altering the plants’ flowering patterns to extend their fruit-producing season.

The FDA officially documented the genetic modification during a voluntary premarket meeting on December 4, 2024. In August 2020, the USDA determined that Simplot’s genome-edited strawberries were not subject to its plant-biotechnology regulations, as documented in the company’s regulatory case study.

Perhaps most concerning is that restaurants are NOT REQUIRED to disclose when they serve CRISPR-edited foods.

Under the USDA’s National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard, restaurants and similar foodservice establishments are expressly exempt from mandatory bioengineered-food disclosures.

This means Americans could be consuming these genetically engineered strawberries without being informed that the fruit was produced using CRISPR technology.

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Nicolas Hulscher, MPH

Epidemiologist and Foundation Administrator, McCullough Foundation

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