Inventing a GMO Apple That Won’t Brown
Arctic Apple, a Genetically Modified Breed, Seeks U.S. Approval
A time-lapse video shows the differences in browning of a regular golden delicious apple and a genetically modified Arctic golden apple left out for 24 hours. Photo: Arctic Apples
Two sliced apples sit on either side of a clock as a time-lapse video compresses 24 hours into 30 seconds. By the end, the apple on the left has turned brown but the one on the right has stayed fresh and white.
The demonstration highlights the Arctic apple, as shown in a video made by its producer, Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. More than a decade in the making, Okanagan’s new Arctic apple has been genetically modified to resist browning when cut open or sliced.
Federal regulators are weighing whether to approve the Arctic apple for sale in the U.S. If approved, the apple would be the first non-browning variety on the market, and could be among the country’s first products required to carry a genetically modified label.
Such a product would tests consumers’ appetite for genetically modified foods. Corn, soybean and other commodities that are genetically engineered are common U.S. food ingredients, but few forms of genetically modified raw produce are available on stores shelves.
Neal Carter, co-founder of Okanagan Specialty Fruits, is seeking U.S. approval for apples that are genetically modified to resist browning. BEN NELMS FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Neal Carter, co-founder of the Canada-based Okanagan, hopes approval of his apple will “help soften consumer concerns of biotech crops in general.”
Some farmers have asked the Agriculture Department to ban the new apple from entering the U.S. market on concerns it could compromise the fruit’s reputation as a healthy, wholesome food. Several individuals commenting on the agency’s assessment of the fruit said Okanagan was “playing God” with the apple.
“The U.S. produces millions of bushels of apples,” said Douglas Rowley, general manager of Mountainland Apples Inc., a Utah-based company that packs and ships apples to retail customers. “Now all of a sudden, we want to throw in one that we just make up. I just don’t agree with it.”
Okanagan says the Arctic apple works by shutting off the enzyme that initiates browning on the apple’s flesh. Mr. Carter hopes the non-browning trait will reinvigorate the apple industry in the same way baby-cut carrots helped create a surge in carrot demand. Okanagan envisions a world where cooks can take their time slicing apples for pies and dinner guests linger over apple wedges on their salads.
‘72% of consumers consider it important to avoid genetically engineered ingredients when buying food’
The Agriculture Department and the Food and Drug Administration are both reviewing the Arctic apple but only the USDA’s approval is needed for it to be sold to U.S. consumers. That agency is looking at whether the Arctic apple poses a threat to other plants. It said in a 2013 draft assessment that the apple is unlikely to do so.
The FDA is examining the potential for human health problems. While its approval isn’t required, the FDA does have the authority to require Okanagan to label its food as genetically modified if it determines the apple is materially different from conventionally grown varieties.
The issue of whether food makers must label products that contain modified ingredients is bubbling up in November elections. Voters in Colorado and Oregon will vote on ballot measures that impose mandatory labeling. Vermont passed a similar law that goes into effect in 2016 although it’s being challenged in court.
The food industry is fighting the measures and has successfully defeated labeling proposals in California and Washington, the largest apple-producing state in the country.
A 2014 survey conducted by Consumer Reports found that 72% of consumers consider it important to avoid genetically engineered ingredients when buying food.
Sarah Dressel, retail manager for Dressel Farms in New York, said visitors to her family’s farmstand regularly ask whether the fruit offered for sale has been modified. “They have the idea that there’s genetically modified food everywhere and they have to check,” said Ms. Dressel, who believes the Arctic apple would be safe.
The U.S. Apple Association also believes the Arctic apple is safe but questions whether there is a need for a non-browning variety in the first place, spokeswoman Wendy Brannen said. “Everything with this particular apple is so new,” she said.
Lemon juice can help prevent apples from browning, as can store-bought solutions. Crunch Pak, a leading producer of sliced apples, discovered a mix of vitamin C and calcium that prevents apples from showing their age for 21 days.
The market for U.S. genetically modified products is dominated by corn, soybeans, cotton and sugarbeets—all of which have been modified to withstand pesticides and herbicides. These traits make life easier for the farmers and the crops, as a result, have been quickly adopted.
The Arctic apple offers no such benefit to farmers. If the apple is approved, Okanagan plans to start by rolling out modified varieties of Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples, while other varieties could follow. It doesn’t currently sell its apples commercially in any country.
Jim Baird, operator of a 250-acre farm in Washington, is among those asking USDA to block the apple and questioned whether the non-browning apple is a solution in search of a problem. “Sure the apple goes brown on an hors d’oeuvre plate but they’re no less healthy to eat,” he said.
