DARWIN, and EU-funded project, has launched an official presentation video showing how it aims to create fair and sustainable food systems.
According to Charles Darwin’s theory, the most essential trait for survival is not strength or intelligence, but the ability to adapt to change. All living organisms are subjected to spontaneous changes in their DNA called mutations, which lead to genetic evolution.
This is precisely what New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) aim to replicate by inducing and monitoring advantageous, engineered mutations. However, scientific and technological challenges in detecting NGT products compliant with European legislation create ambiguity, leaving law enforcement authorities and consumers without clear, transparent information.
Here is where the DARWIN project comes in. To present the several solutions that this EU-funded project will put in place to create fair and sustainable food systems, DARWIN released its video.
The main solutions proposed by DARWIN are, firstly, detection methods for NGT genetic changes in plant products will be validated, and their efficacy will be tested through three realistic scenarios. Next, the consortium will employ AI and bioinformatics to obtain genetic fingerprints of NGT products. Finally, a dataspace will be created to enhance the traceability and transparency of these products.
The project’s organisers say they hope their efforts will yield significant impacts on technology, society, science, and the economy, driving innovation, and advancing scientific research, adding that, by addressing these areas, we are paving the way for a more sustainable use of NGTs in food systems.
Jim Cornall is editor of Future Food Today and publisher at Ayr Coastal Media. He is an award-winning writer, editor, photographer, broadcaster, designer and author. Contact Jim here.
