Story perspectives

UK's CRISPR Wheat Cuts Acrylamide by 93% Amid EU Talks

4/7/2026

Summary

Story summary

Rothamsted Research in the United Kingdom developed wheat using CRISPR, i.e., clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, to reduce acrylamide in toasted bread.
Field trials at Rothamsted show free asparagine declines by up to 93% without reducing yields.
The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 supports UK leadership in gene editing since Brexit.
However, ongoing negotiations with the European Union may hinder adoption due to regulatory alignment issues.

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Story summary

Rothamsted Research in the United Kingdom developed wheat using CRISPR, i.e., clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, to reduce acrylamide in toasted bread.
Field trials at Rothamsted show free asparagine declines by up to 93% without reducing yields.
The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 supports UK leadership in gene editing since Brexit.
However, ongoing negotiations with the European Union may hinder adoption due to regulatory alignment issues.