Gene Editing (GEd) offers a valuable tool for crop improvement to address nutritional insecurity, climate adaptation and wider societal benefits. However, its impact depends on the nature of policy and regulatory environments that govern the development and use of GEd products. This report examines how different jurisdictions permit, manage and regulate the use of GEd crop technologies. We outline GEd regulation across countries and the wider ramifications around regulatory triggers targeting the process and product of GEd development. This includes the potential costs of regulatory misalignment and its impacts for research diversity and trade. We argue that crops developed which do not contain transgenes should be regulated as conventionally-bred products, based on their biological equivalence and the disproportionate burden and scientific impracticability in tracking and enforcing control of these products. We close with recommendations for harmonised, product based regulation, stronger international coordination, improved regulatory performance and communications strategies.