APEC Economies Advance Genome Editing and Biotechnology to Strengthen Food Security
核心洞察
APEC (搜索) economies are advancing agricultural biotechnologies, including genome editing, to strengthen crops and livestock against severe weather, disease, and trade disruptions threatening global food supply.
Genome editing is producing tangible results, with 75 percent of global soybeans already planted from genome-modified varieties offering higher yields and stronger bacteria resistance.
Researchers demonstrated genome-edited rice with lower glycaemic and higher protein levels, enabling slower sugar release into the bloodstream, which is crucial for Asian populations with diabetes (搜索).
As severe weather, from extreme heat to floods, and trade disruptions strain global food supply, APEC (搜索) economies are advancing agricultural biotechnologies—including genome editing—to help keep food on people's tables. The developments were discussed at the APEC High-Level Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Biotechnology held in Dalian, People's Republic of China, earlier this week, where experts examined new innovations and strengthened safety principles for genome technologies, tools that edit an organism's genetic code to change specific traits.
"Agricultural biotechnologies such as transgenics, gene-editing and synthetic biology have opened a new era of scientific and technological transformation," said Li Xin Hai, Chair of the dialogue. "With the development in artificial intelligence these technologies provide new solutions for food security, addressing climate change and promoting sustainable agricultural development," Li added.
Precision Breeding Delivers Tangible Results
Agricultural biotechnologies have been around for decades due to their ability to strengthen crops and livestock against changing weather and diseases. Now, they are increasingly being shaped to meet the region's changing dietary needs, helping food systems keep pace with growing populations.
Across the dialogue, economies demonstrated how precision breeding—where specific genes are edited rather than crossbreeding over generations—is already producing tangible results, with adoption spreading across different fruits, vegetables and meat. Notably, 75 percent of global soybeans planted are already from genome-modified varieties, as farmers gain higher yields from stronger and more bacteria-resistant crops.
Experts reported on how new genome technology can be used to breed fish such as carps and salmon to have fewer fine bones. This encourages easier consumption and allows for faster industrial processing for 70 percent of freshwater aquacultural products.
Addressing Nutrition and Chronic Disease
Research from China Agricultural University (搜索) demonstrated how genome editing could improve drought tolerance, increase productivity with less fertilizer input, and strengthen nutritional value.
The International Rice Research Institute (搜索) highlighted the example of rice modified with lower glycaemic and higher protein levels, allowing for slower sugar release into the bloodstream after consumption—a development described as crucial for large populations across Asia with diabetes (搜索).
Closing the Consumer Trust Gap
Creating better public perception of genome-modified food was identified as a vital part of the dialogue, as it remains a major hurdle with many consumers still viewing such products as unsafe or unhealthy.
Delegates stressed that closing this gap starts with regulation that is science-based and assessed case-by-case, adapting to new technologies as they emerge. Assessments should cover both food safety and environmental risk at every stage of development, backed by data-driven risk checks and predictable approval timelines to encourage farmers' adoption while maintaining biosafety.
Beyond regulation, the dialogue also stressed the importance of education and communication to boost consumer confidence in genome-modified food. From accurate and engaging food labelling to virtual reality experiences showing how modification takes place and educational public signage, economies emphasized the need to respond to consumer concerns and misinformation through evidence-based communication and proactive outreach.
"APEC (搜索) economies differ in development levels, resource endowments and regulatory practices, so it is only natural that we hold different priorities and concerns in agricultural biotechnologies. Yet it is precisely this diversity that renders the exchanges vital and our cooperation necessary," concluded Li.
Building on more than two decades of dialogue and practical cooperation on agricultural biotechnology, the dialogue builds momentum toward the APEC (搜索) Food Security Ministerial Meeting in Hangzhou on 25 August, where economies will continue working together on one shared challenge: feeding a growing region.