This might need to be moved to PPR, since the GMO question is nigh religious.
fwiw i fall in the "Pro" column with the caveats that Monsanto is utterly talentless at PR and I'm not really invested in the idea of using a whole lot of glyphosate.
I am an unpaid shill.
So I'll start off by heading off some confusion:
These potatoes are not transgenic. They contain no genes from anything but potatoes. I am under the impression that their basic genetic makeup is the result of conventional plant breeding.
This potato is not "roundup resistant" or resistant to any herbicide.
Simplot is not Monsanto. Simplot is Big Idaho Potato if you want to think of companies in terms of what their big evil is. If you live in the USA, and eat anything made of potatoes, you have been eating their products on a regular basis for many years, if not your entire life.
But it turns out that the three major issues with russet potatoes - bruising (black spots), turning pink when cut, and the creation of acrylamide - a carcinogen - are all caused by the presence of a single enzyme.
What they've done is used RNA interference to mostly disable the gene that causes the creation of that enzyme in the tuber.
Which i think is pretty clever.
These potatoes have been cleared by the FDA and if i understand correctly should be available in commercial quantities later this year.
Quote:
We appreciate the interest and discussion about our Innate potato today, so here's a little more information. The J.R. Simplot Company re-branded its Innate™ potatoes as White Russet™ fresh potatoes for the consumer market and began selling White Russet™ branded potatoes in the United States this summer. White Russet™ potatoes are grown to be less prone to bruising and black spots, which means farmers have the opportunity to get bruise-free potatoes to market. The White Russet™ potatoes also stay white longer when cut or peeled, which means shoppers also get to enjoy more of what they pay for. In addition, White Russet™ potatoes provide a viable choice for those who want to reduce their consumption of acrylamide, a naturally-occurring chemical compound that can develop when certain foods are cooked at high temperatures. White Russet™ potatoes contain genes from wild and cultivated potatoes and have been extensively reviewed by the USDA and FDA and deemed safe for consumption. The benefits of the White™ Russet potatoes are identified on the packaging and more information about the Innate™ biotechnology is available at
http://www.whiterusset.com
13 Jul 2015, 11:13 pm
