Mars, the chocolate and confectionery manufacturer, has announced a strategic partnership with biotechnology company Pairwise to develop cocoa varieties that are more resistant to climate-related challenges, including diseases and high temperatures.
Under the agreement, Mars will have access to Pairwise’s Fulcrum platform, a database of plant traits designed to help crops adapt and become more resilient. The partnership will use CRISPR-based gene editing, a technique that allows precise and rapid changes to DNA, enabling improvements in traits such as drought and pest resistance more quickly than traditional breeding methods.
For Mars, the technology offers a way to strengthen global supply chains. “We believe that CRISPR can improve crops in a way that supports and strengthens value chains, making them more resilient to climate change,” said Carl Jones, Director of Plant Sciences at Mars.
This announcement reflects a growing trend in the food industry, where major brands invest in innovation to safeguard critical raw materials. In October, Starbucks directed resources to coffee farms in Central America to develop climate-resilient varieties and explore technologies such as drones and mechanization, according to a press release.
According to ChileBio, examples like this demonstrate that gene editing is moving beyond a scientific concept to become a practical tool for addressing global challenges that also affect Chile.
“Agricultural biotechnology is part of the response to problems of food security and sustainability, and examples such as Mars demonstrate the faith and hope that there is in genetic editing and biotechnology to adapt crops to constant climate challenges,” said Dr. Miguel Ángel Sánchez, executive director of ChileBio.
