The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has quietly green lit the first-ever gene-edited pigs for human consumption, marking a controversial leap into the future of biotechnology. While corporate giants and biotech proponents celebrate this as a solution to disease-ridden factory farming, skeptics warn of hidden dangers—unintended genetic mutations, viral resistance, and a disturbing lack of transparency for consumers. As CRISPR-altered pork inches toward dinner tables, the question remains: Are we trading short-term agricultural gains for long-term health disasters?

Key points:

The FDA approved gene-edited pigs resistant to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), a costly virus plaguing industrial pig farms.

CRISPR technology removes a cellular receptor to block PRRS, but critics warn the virus could mutate into more dangerous strains.

No labeling requirements mean consumers may unknowingly eat gene-edited pork as early as next year.

Previous gene-editing experiments have led to unintended side effects, raising concerns about food safety.

The approval follows a pattern of regulatory secrecy, with the FDA failing to prominently disclose the decision.

The hidden cost of "disease-resistant" pork

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) has plagued pig farms for decades, causing massive economic losses. Genus, a British biotech firm, claims its CRISPR-edited pigs—engineered to lack the CD163 receptor targeted by PRRS—could be the answer. However, genetic modifications often have unintended consequences. In 2018, He Jiankui's controversial CRISPR experiment on human embryos demonstrated the technology's unpredictability. While pigs are not humans, similar risks exist: viruses evolve, and genetic alterations may disrupt biological functions in unforeseen ways. As one expert warned, PRRS has no simple fix—CRISPR may create new problems while solving old ones.