Gene-edited bananas move toward UK sale
Gene-edited bananas that don’t go brown could hit UK supermarkets
Monday, 28 September 2026
Warm-up
- How do you stop cut fruit from going brown?
- What foods do you throw away most often? Why?
- Would you try gene-edited fruit? Why or why not?
Vocabulary
- biotechnology
- The use of living things and science to make new products, often in farming.
- precision-bred
- Produced with targeted genetic changes that could also happen through selective breeding.
- enzyme
- A protein in plants or animals that speeds up chemical reactions.
- emissions
- Gases released into the air, often linked to climate change.
- supply chain
- All the steps that move a product from farm to factory to shop and customer.
- regulatory
- Related to official rules and government approvals.
- authorise
- To give official permission for something to be sold or used.
- bruise
- A dark mark on fruit or skin caused by minor damage without breaking the surface.
Reading
Listen to this story
American EnglishBananas that resist browning after peeling could soon reach UK shops. Tropic, a Norwich-based biotechnology company, says its gene-edited fruit keeps taste and texture but stays yellow and appetising for an extra day or two, especially if chilled. That could make it easier to add bananas to prepacked fruit salads and cut waste.
Last week Defra approved a marketing notice confirming the bananas' precision-bred status, one of two steps before sale. The Food Standards Agency must still review safety. Prof Cathie Martin said the timing is unclear.
Tropic used Crispr-Cas9 to alter all three copies of one gene and reduce polyphenol oxidase, the enzyme that causes browning. The company says this could cut food waste and CO2-equivalent emissions along the supply chain by over 25%, or more than 9m tonnes a year in the banana export market.
A government study found 1.4m edible bananas are thrown away each day, and 30% of consumers discarded one for a minor bruise or black mark. Regulations for precision-bred plants apply only to England, and no precision-bred organisms have been authorised there yet. Tropic says it has regulatory approval in 10 countries, including Japan, Brazil and the Philippines, and the fruit is already grown in Latin America.
Comprehension
- What problem do these bananas aim to solve?
- Which UK department confirmed the precision-bred status?
- What must the Food Standards Agency do next?
- Which enzyme did Tropic reduce to slow browning?
- How many edible bananas are thrown away each day in Britain?
Grammar focus
Used to / would
Both describe past habits. Only 'used to' can describe a past state — a situation rather than an action. 'The building used to be a cinema' is correct; 'would be' is not. (Examples constructed.)
- Farmers used to sell ripe bananas at local markets.
- Packers would place sliced banana into fruit pots before chillers.
Grammar exercise
Complete each sentence using 'used to' or 'would'.
- Farmers (burn) ___ the fields at the end of summer.
- The building (be) ___ a small cinema before the war.
- The town (have) ___ three daily newspapers.
- Traders (shout) ___ their prices across the square.
- Workers (walk) ___ to the docks before dawn.
Discussion
- Should UK shops prioritise foods that reduce waste? Why or why not?
- Do you trust biotechnology in everyday food products? Explain.
- Are different rules across UK nations helpful or confusing for shoppers?
- Would you pay more for fruit that stays fresh longer?
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