Topic: Mars Incorporated

Chipotle warns investors that climate change could lead to a 40% drop in California avocado production, potentially forcing guacamole off the menu. Similarly, reports suggest chocolate could vanish by 2050 due to warmer, drier conditions in West Africa. Mars Incorporated is collaborating with UC Berkeley scientists to use CRISPR gene-editing technology to develop cacao plants that can survive in changing climates.

Mars Incorporated is collaborating with scientists at UC Berkeley to use CRISPR gene-editing technology to develop cacao plants resistant to warmer, drier conditions. While the media reports this as a move to save the chocolate industry from climate change, skeptics view it as a corporate branding exercise for GMO products.