USDA clears way for two GE potatoes

USDA’s biotechnology regulators say that two genetically engineered potato varieties from J.R. Simplot, developer of the first GE potato to resist bruising, can be grown safely and do not need federal regulation. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will accept public comment on its preliminary determination until Oct 24.

The new varieties, a Russet Ranger and an Atlantic, are engineered to resist late blight, to resist “black spot” bruising, to produce less acrylamide (a possibly hazardous substance) during cooking, and to tolerate cold storage longer than ordinary potatoes. APHIS said it previously reviewed and deregulated those traits in other GE potatoes, so the so-called X17 and Y9 potatoes are “unlikely to pose a plant pest risk.”

In January, the FDA said Simplot’s second-generation GE Innate potato was as safe to eat as any other potato. The company, based in Boise, Idaho, is waiting for EPA approval before it can market the GE Russet Burbank potato to the public. It contains many of the traits found in the two varieties proposed for deregulation by APHIS.

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