US FDA Completes Review of Altered Lignin Alfalfa Developed by Cibus and S&W Seed

Agricultural technology company Cibus Inc. has announced that it has completed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Plant Biotechnology Consultation Program for its gene-edited altered lignin alfalfa trait. The FDA has notified Cibus that it has no further questions concerning the use of altered lignin alfalfa in food or feed.

The gene-edited alfalfa was developed by Cibus in collaboration with S&W Seed Company. Cibus and S&W Seed worked to identify an alfalfa trait with an altered lignin profile to provide increased nutrient availability for livestock. This trait also gives farmers the added benefit of greater flexibility in harvest timing. The result is a higher value alfalfa produced on the same acre with the same inputs, putting greater profitability in the hands of the farmer.

Cibus Co-Founder and Interim Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Peter Beetham noted, “We are pleased to see that the FDA has reached the same conclusion as Cibus, that altered lignin alfalfa is suitable for use in food and feed applications and look forward to supporting S&W Seed Company to make this alfalfa forage quality enhancement trait available to farmers."

Brent Johnson, S&W Vice President of Sales & Marketing, states, “S&W Seed Company is poised to offer the first commercial gene-edited alfalfa varieties to alfalfa growers in the United States.

For more details, read the news release from Cibus.