No, the technology to produce edible vaccines is not yet perfected

Context

A post on X (formerly Twitter) claims that the University of California has perfected the technology to put vaccines in lettuce and tomatoes. Since it was published on July 23, 2024, more than 900,000 users have viewed the post (archived here). 

The post is misleading because it claims the technology to put vaccines in tomatoes has already been perfected. Although the university has indeed started developing edible vaccines, such food is currently unavailable to consumers, as research is far from complete.

In fact

This post is accompanied by a video of Rep. Scott Cepicky's speech to the Tennessee General Assembly on the Food Labeling Bill (HB1894). On February 21, 2024, he introduced a food labeling bill to the state's House Health Committee, which was later passed. The Bill prohibits the manufacture, sale or delivery, storage, or offer for sale of any food containing a vaccine or vaccine material unless the food label prominently displays a statement indicating the presence of the vaccine or vaccine material in the food.

The law acts as a "precautionary measure" as no evidence exists that such food is currently available. According to researchers writing in Phytotherapy Research, no edible vaccine has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because such vaccines are considered genetically engineered crops.

Cepicky mentions in his speech that certain researchers, including those at the University of California Riverside, are working to develop technology that will allow vaccines to be injected into food. He says they have already "perfected" the technology, which is imprecise. The university in question is researching such possibilities but, as announced in a press release, received only a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation in 2021 for this purpose.

"The claim that the technology has been perfected is false. It is very much still being tested," Jules Bernstein, Senior Public Information Officer at UC Riverside, confirmed to Logically Facts. This has also been confirmed by lead researcher Juan Pablo Giraldo to USA TODAY. According to him, this research will take a couple of years to show proof of concept of the technology. "If successful, it will take more studies and several more years before people can use leafy greens as mRNA vaccine factories," he added.

The researchers' initial idea was to see if edible plants (such as lettuce) could be turned into mRNA vaccine factories – a complex development, as one of the challenges of mRNA vaccines is that they must be kept cold to maintain stability during transport and storage.

In conclusion, research into edible vaccines is still at a very early stage, and scientists have a long way to go before they become an important part of the global vaccination program, as the experts also claim.

The verdict

The claim that the technology to develop edible vaccines has been perfected is inaccurate. So far, there are no vaccines in tomatoes and lettuce available to the public. Development is taking place but is still at an early stage. Therefore, we mark this claim as misleading. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19, including symptoms, prevention, and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organization or your national healthcare authority.