Altering Food With Microneedles Is A Line We Shouldn’t Cross.

A 2024 study from MIT and SMART introduced microneedle patches that inject melatonin directly into fruits and vegetables to delay spoilage. While the researchers claim this method reduces food waste by extending shelf life, it also involves piercing your produce with hormone-loaded needles—something never done before on a wide scale for fresh food.

The treated plants showed delayed yellowing and slower aging, but the process rewires plant hormones post-harvest. Even if the melatonin is “low dose,” altering a plant’s biology with synthetic delivery systems raises serious questions about long-term safety, transparency, and consumer consent. What else will be injected in the name of shelf life? And will we even know it?

We shouldn’t normalize injecting anything into food—it opens the door to manipulation without consumer knowledge or choice.