--- title: "FDA Approves Gene-Hacked Sausages" description: "The FDA just gave the OK for a new genetically-modified pig sausage to enter the food supply. Gene-hacked sausages for all!" date: "2023-05-10" modified: "2023-05-10" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/fda-gene-hacked-sausages" categories: - "Gene Editing" - "Genetics" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "food" - "genetics" - "health" - "pork" --- # FDA Approves Gene-Hacked Sausages ![The FDA just gave the OK for a new genetically-modified pig sausage to enter the food supply. Gene-hacked sausages for all!]() *\Image: WSU\* The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) just gave the OK for genetically-modified pig sausages to enter the food supply. Gene-hacked hot dogs for all! The pork sausage in question was created out of meat from two-year-old pigs that were genetically modified at Washington State University (WSU). The team behind the project was led by Jon Oatley, a professor in the School of Molecular Biosciences in Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine who uses CRISPR tech to improve meat quality as well as the health and resilience of livestock. "It's important for a university to set the precedent by working with federal regulators to get these animals introduced into the food supply," Oatley said in a [statement](). "If we don't go through that process, all of the research we're doing is for naught because it will never make it out into the public." Though the FDA approval is still investigational — and some genetically-altered animal products, pig products included, have been FDA-approved for a few years now — adding a gene-hacked sausage to the mix is still an exciting step forward for the world of genetically-modified foods. The gene-hacked sausages, per the press release, were first processed at the WSU meat lab. They were then inspected by the US Department of Agriculture, just as all other meats are inspected. According to the researchers, the pigs were originally modified to be "surrogate sires," a technique that enables scientists to use these surrogates to "sire offspring with traits from another male pig." The surrogate is genetically modified to be sterile, and is then implanted with more desirable stem cells taken from another male. With these stem cells, the surrogate sire is then hopefully able to create sperm that has the desirable genetic traits of the donor pig. In other words, in many ways, it's a technological upgrade to the ancient process of selective breeding. And Oatley, for his part, says he's hoping that his gene-hacked pigs — and of course, the sausage that we make from them — will change our food systems for the better. "The original intent in making these animals was to try to improve the way that we feed people," Oatley said in his statement. "And we can't do that unless we can work with the FDA system to get these animals actually into the food chain." And while there's certainly some public distrust towards genetically-modified foods — [*Bloomberg* illustrated those anxieties]() just a few months ago — Oatley is hoping that his place as an academic will help to dispel some of the misinformation surrounding genetically-modified meat, which has yet to present any cause for concern, and thus help to amass more public trust. "There's a trust that comes with university-based research," said Oately. "We just want to make sure the research is valid, and the animals we produce are healthy." **More on gene-hacked pig meat:** [*FDA Approves Gene-Hacked Pigs for Human Consumption*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()