Gene Edited Foods

The agricultural and food sector is poised to benefit from the advent of gene editing techniques. However, gene edited foods (GEFs) will likely create controversy and pose major governance challenges because of the technology's scientific complexity, existing social controversy toward transgenic biotechnologies, and the ad hoc nature of current biotech regulations. Regulatory oversight and governance will probably extend beyond traditional regulations to include voluntary standards and rules. However, it is unclear what combination of governance oversight will be viewed as trustworthy by different publics. Within this context, the identification of emergent gaps in public trust is a pre-requisite to ensuring the successful introduction of socially legitimate, scientifically robust, and sustainable GEFs.