GMO Apple Causing Stir

 GMO Apple Causing Stir. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

The problem is - when you cut an apple it starts to turn brown. Now a Canadian biotechnology company has asked the U.S. to approve a genetically modified apple that won't brown soon after its sliced, saying the improvement could boost sales of apples for snacks, salads and other uses. But is that a good thing?

FRYHOVER: Genetically modified typically has a negative connotation in our industry. We kind of pride ourselves on being the symbol of health and nutrition and if it was genetically altered we couldn’t say that anymore and this would be a real stretch for our industry to consider.

Todd Fryhover is the President of the Washington Apple Commission

FRYHOVER: And there is one other issue that is out there, there is cross-pollination. The GMO trees need to be pollinated just like any other tree and that can potentially be contaminated into a conventional orchard. And I think it has been proven that that contamination does actually happen.

So the question becomes how do you keep it from cross pollinating all the trees? The question is also asked, does a browning apple really matter all that much?

FRYHOVER: If you look at it from the sense of corn and wheat and protein sustenance that goes out to millions of people across the world to feed the hungry, genetically modified makes sense. Your yields are up, your protein content is up. But when you look at apples, everybody grows apples and then to alter that could really change the entire make up of the apple industry.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.