Recently, the USDA approved the first GMO potato for commercial planting in the USA. The potato is created by Simplot, the company that is known as a major supplier to McDonald’s for their French fries. This GMO product is engineered to produce 75% fewer carcinogens when fried or heated. It is also modified not to turn brown for many hours after being cut.
“This approval comes after a decade of scientific development, safety assessments, and extensive field tests”. - J. R. Simplot Company stated
According to Simplot, the method used to create the potatoes is not as nearly as ‘alarming’ or ‘aggressive’ when compared to the techniques used by other companies, like Monsanto. The company added that there are no bacteria or genes from other plants in the potato. They claim that there is only a DNA from potato in their GMO creation.
However, Doug Gurian-Sherman, a plant pathologist and senior scientist at the Center for Food Safety, said that this is a premature approval of technology that is not adequately regulated. Mr. Curian-Shermad claims that the RNA interference technique used for Innate is untested, and added that one of the substances suppressed by it is actually very important for protection against pests.
Simplot plans to conquer the market with their GMO product. The company will target the majority of restaurants and supermarkets across the USA. They believe that their potato will be a hit due to its increased shelf-life.
“This could be a game-changer for the industry”, Kerwin Bradley, Simplot’s director of commercialization, said.
How to Avoid the New Genetically Modified Potato!
1. First of all, avoid eating food from McDonald’s and potato-based foods in restaurants.
2. Look for Products Labeled 100% Organic – USA and Canada do not allow companies to label products 100% organic if they contain genetically modified foods.
3. Look For “Non-GM” or “GMO-Free” Labels.
4. Always Read the Labels
- Conventional Fruit Labels: Begin with the number 4, and never begin with the number 9.
- Genetically Modified Fruit Labels: Begin with the number 8. Remember that it begins with 8, and not that just contains the number 8. This is often a 5 digit number.
- Organic Fruit Labels: These labels always contain 5 digits, and begin with the number 9. Always check twice because some “organic” products are falsely labeled.
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com
http://naturalsociety.com
http://www.healthyfoodhouse.com
http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com