FDA approves GMO apples, potatoes that don't brown

Apples and potatoes that turn brown within minutes of exposure to the air and spoil the aesthetic appeal of the most carefully prepared dishes, may soon be a by-gone problem. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved as safe for human consumption two types of apples and six kinds of potatoes that have been genetically engineered to resist browning and bruising.

The FDA said the apples and potatoes are “as safe and nutritious as their conventional counterparts.” But, consumer and environmental groups worry genetically modified products could have unknown risks to human health.

Both the J.R. Simplot Company in Idaho, which produces the potatoes, and

Okanagan Specialty Fruits in British Columbia, which cultivates the apples, use the products’ own DNA to inhibit enzyme-producing genes that cause bruising and browning.

“Unlike traditional methods of breeding which introduce random mutations associated with dozens of genes, the method used to develop Innate potatoes is precise,” said David Douches, the Michigan State University crop and soil sciences professor who conducted the field trials.

According to the Simplot company. the modified potatoes have lower levels of naturally occurring asparagine, a chemical that produces acrylamide, which is thought to become carcinogenic when cooked at high temperatures.

Any apple variety can be engineered to be non-browning but Okanagan has decided to convert the two most popular varieties, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith, first, followed by Fuji and Gala, according to the company’s website.

Proponents of the genetically modified apples say the benefits are more than just cosmetic.The bruise-resisting fruit will decrease production costs by eliminating the waste of having to discard apples marred by finger marks or bin rubs. The apple will be more suitable for mechanical harvesting and more easily packed and shipped. Food preparation businesses will not need to treat fresh sliced apples, saving costs and enhancing flavor. Apple juice will appear appetizing without artificial colors.

Despite the genetic modification, the apples could be organically grown. “Unlike some GMO crops that incorporate pesticides, the GMO Arctic Apple could, in theory, be grown under organic management with composted fertilizer and holistic pest management,” said Heartland Institutes’s Mischa Popoff, in The Daily Courier.

But consumer and environmental groups believe the FDA reviews are inadequate and based too much on what the company says about their product. “Congress should pass legislation that requires new biotech crops to undergo a rigorous and mandatory approval process before foods made from those crops reach the marketplace. Such a system would give consumers much greater confidence that all genetically engineered products have been independently reviewed and found to be safe,” said Greg Jaffe, director of the Project on Biotechnology for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, according to Chemical Engineering News.

It is not yet clear whether the FDA will require Okanagan and Simplot to label their products. Some fear a failure to label the genetically modified apples and potatoes may prompt consumers who wish to avoid such products to stop buying apples and potatoes altogether.

The apples are expected to be on store shelves in 2017 and the potatoes may be available in a few months.