Approval sought in U.S. | Consumers were opposed to Monsanto’s attempt to market Nature Mark GM spud
There are no genetically modified potatoes in Canada, and there may not be any for some time.
“Someday there may be, but that is entirely going to depend on what the consumer wants,” said Terence Hochstein, executive director of Potato Growers of Alberta.
Simplot in the United States is seeking approval for a GM potato with better shelf life and a low level of acry-lamide, a naturally occurring chemical in processed food thought to be carcinogenic. However, Canada will make its own decision to register Simplot’s Innate variety, even if it is accepted in the U.S., Hochstein said after the potato growers annual meeting in Calgary Nov. 21.
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A dozen years of consumer backlash forced Monsanto to abandon its GM potato, the Nature Mark, but Simplot consultant Joe Guenthner thinks the new version might have a chance.
He said the Monsanto potato probably raised the ire of consumer activists because it involved transferring genes from another species to make it resistant to the Colorado potato beetle. The Simplot potato contains genes from other plants in the potato family.
The Monsanto potatoes made it to market but everything fell apart when activist groups pressured fast food corporations like Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald’s not to use them in their fries.
“They weren’t concerned about the GM canola oil they were fried in, just the potatoes,” said Guenthner, a retired University of Idado agricultural economist. “They were smart in picking that target because french fries are the second biggest money maker in fast food restaurants. Soft drinks are No. 1.”
Simplot’s variety does not bruise easily or turn black after it is peeled and exposed to air.
Guenthner said the industry is always looking for ways to interest people in eating more potatoes, and consumers may consider buying a product like this if its convenience factors were promoted.
It could be sold in a package already peeled and diced with a longer shelf life than current products that are preserved with sulfites.
