Tell USDA No GE Apples!

11 Sep, 2012

via Center for Food Safety

USDA to approve a genet­i­cally engi­neered (GE) apple that will not brown when sliced. If approved, Okanagan’s non-browning “Arctic” apple would be first com­mer­cial­ized in Granny Smith and Golden Delicious varieties.

What’s worse, these unla­beled GE apples are pri­mar­ily tar­geted to the fresh-sliced apple mar­ket and could also find their way into non-GE fruit slices, juice, baby foods or apple sauce at the pro­cess­ing level, prod­ucts pre­dom­i­nantly con­sumed by chil­dren and babies who are at increased risk for any adverse health effects. Tell USDA par­ents do not want to feed their kids GE apples.

Even the apple indus­try has opposed this genet­i­cally engi­neered prod­uct. The U.S. Apple Association, Northwest Horticultural Council (which rep­re­sents Washington apple grow­ers, who grow over 60% of the apples in the U.S.), British Columbia Fruit Growers Association and other grower groups have already voiced their dis­ap­proval of these GE apples due to the neg­a­tive impact they could have on farm­ers grow­ing organic and non-GE apples, and the apple indus­try as a whole.
 
We all know that sliced apples turn brown when they’re exposed to oxy­gen, but they don’t lose any fla­vor or nutri­tional value. This GE apple offers no ben­e­fit for con­sumers or pro­duc­ers, and only risk.

Tell USDA to Reject this GE Apple!

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