Sanatech Life Science Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Sanatech”) is pleased to announce that it has submitted a Transparency Initiative (TI) notification for its High-GABA tomato (line #87-17), which has been successfully reviewed by the Novel Foods Section (NFS) of the Food and Nutrition Directorate, Health Canada.
As a result of the review, the High-GABA tomato was found to meet all five categories outlined in Health Canada’s “Guidance on the Novelty Interpretation of Products of Plant Breeding.” Consequently, it has been determined that the product’s characteristics do not meet the definition of “novel food” (commonly known as “genetically modified foods”) as set out in section B.28.001(c) of the Food and Drug Regulations.
In accordance with the Transparency Initiative (TI) process, our gene-edited plant product will be published on the Department’s “List of non-novel products of plant breeding for food use.”
This determination by Health Canada confirms that Sanatech’s gene-edited tomato is considered as safe as products derived through conventional breeding. With this significant milestone, we will accelerate the international expansion of our gene-edited tomato, “Sicilian Rouge High GABA,” within the North American market.

