October 30, 2025

A CRISPR Future for Agriculture

Pairwise CEO Tom Adams explains how gene editing is reshaping crops, boosting yields, and making fruits and vegetables more consumer friendly.

Bill McDowell

Food Technology Magazine

Key Takeaways

Trait Innovation

CRISPR is enabling consumer-friendly traits (seedless blackberries, pitless cherries) while also driving sustainability gains in row crops (short-stature corn, disease-resistant soy).
Consumer Trust

Transparency and clearly articulated consumer benefits are essential to overcoming biotech skepticism.
System Performance

The long-term promise of the technology lies at the intersection of product innovation and agricultural efficiency.

Although still in its early days, CRISPR has already been called the most powerful scientific tool of the century. Using programmable “scissors” that make precise edits to DNA to encourage desired biological traits and erase unwanted ones, its applications are already far-reaching. In the past year alone, CRISPR-based therapies have advanced in clinical trials aiming to excise latent HIV from human cells, and the first gene-editing treatments for sickle cell disease have moved from trial to patient care.

In agriculture, those edits promise more than just higher yields.

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Hero Image: Photos by Anna Routh Barzin, courtesy of Pairwise

Authors

Bill McDowell Editor-in-Chief and Vice President of Content Strategy

Bill McDowell, Food Technology editor-in-chief and vice president of content strategy, directs integrated editorial strategy across IFT’s print, web, and emerging digital platforms.