In spite of consumer and trade group concerns over the genetically-engineered fruit, Okanagan Specialty Fruits (OSF) of Summerland, British Columbia, has petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture to deregulate sales of their Arctic Fuji, which is genetically modified to reduce browning after slicing. The apple could potentially appear on U.S. tables sometime this year.
Two other of the company’s non-browning varieties — the Arctic Golden and Arctic Granny — were approved last year by the USDA for commercial sale.
To inhibit browning, the company uses “gene silencing” to reduce the apple cells’ supply of the plant enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO), which contributes to turning apple flesh brown.
The nonprofit Center for Food Safety, based in Washington, D.C., argued last year that OSF’s genetically-engineered varieties could pose risks for Canadian and U.S. growers concerned about contamination of non-GMO and organic orchards by the non-browning apples.
The Center also argued that browning is a sign that apples are no longer fresh, and that masking this natural signal could lead to people consuming older, overripe and expired fruit.
OSF argues on its website that their Arctic brand biotech apples may be the most studied and researched apple on the market after a decade of field trials and years of review by U.S. and Canadian regulatory agencies.
