The following information is from Children’s Health Defense.

A controversial GMO tomato project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and US taxpayers through DARPA, a division of the US Department of Defense, has hit significant technical roadblocks. The initiative aimed to genetically engineer tomatoes to disrupt the reproductive cycle of whiteflies, a pest responsible for billions in crop damage annually. Whiteflies, or Bemisia tabaci, feed on the sap of tomato plants, often causing them to dry up and excreting a sticky substance called honeydew, which attracts ants and exacerbates crop loss.

The DARPA Insect Allies program, which partially funds the project, aims to develop “scalable, readily deployable, and generalizable countermeasures” to secure the US food supply against natural and engineered threats.

This specific project sought to genetically modify tomatoes to produce proteins that destroy whitefly eggs, disrupting the pest at its reproductive stage—a novel approach in agricultural pest control. However, researchers faced major challenges, including gene silencing, plant deformities, and an inability to deliver the intended proteins effectively to the pests.

“The authors acknowledge that this natural defense mechanism constitutes a major barrier to taking this technology forward.”
— Michael Antoniou, Ph.D., Molecular Geneticist

Despite the setbacks, critics argue the project raises broader ethical and health concerns. They question the safety of embedding pest control in food crops and whether taxpayer funds should support projects with limited chances of success.

“Tomatoes engineered with insecticides to disrupt reproduction may sound like a breakthrough, but they raise critical questions about safety, transparency, and the ethics of modifying food crops to attack life at its reproductive core.”
— Jon Fleetwood, Investigative Journalist

Claire Robinson of GM Watch pointed out that even if the project were to succeed in the short term, its long-term viability remains uncertain due to the ability of pests to adapt. She also highlighted concerns about potential risks to human health.

“Ingesting this GMO-produced insecticide may have adverse health effects on humans, which are unpredictable. “
— Claire Robinson, Editor, GM Watch

The involvement of taxpayer dollars has drawn sharp criticism, particularly given the project’s failures and Gates’ prominent backing. With DARPA’s funding tied to the US defense budget, critics argue that public resources should be prioritized for efforts with greater proven potential to succeed and benefit the public.

For more details, read the full article here.