PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A new genetically engineered potato has just been ruled safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and been deregulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but it may be a while yet before Mainers get to dig into it.
Made by the Boise, Idaho, based J.R. Simplot Company under the brand name Innate, the second generation potato is in the midst of review and must still be approved by the federal Environmental Protection Agency after a decade of scientific development, safety assessments and extensive field tests. Innate potatoes only contain genes from wild and cultivated potatoes, and are grown in the same way as conventional potatoes, according to the company.
James Dwyer, crop specialist for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Presque Isle, said recently that he attended, along with officials from the Maine Potato Board, a presentation by Simplot on the second generation potatoes.
“We got a presentation a few weeks ago about the technology that they are bringing to the table,” said Dwyer. “They have several varieties such as the Russet Burbank Generation 2 that they talked to us about, and there were good traits such as less bruising and more resistance to late blight.”
According to information provided by the company, the second generation potatoes contain four beneficial traits of relevance to potato growers, processors and consumers: they are less susceptible to bruising and black spots; they are more resistant to late blight pathogens; they keep better in cold storage; and they contain reduced asparagine, which lessens the potential for the formation of acrylamide, a potentially cancer causing chemical compound created when potatoes are fried.
Erik Gonring, who manages industry affairs at Simplot in Idaho, said that there are no second generation potatoes currently being grown in Maine, but 6,000 test acres of Innate will be grown across the United States.
Maine farmers are keeping a close watch on the process both for the beneficial potential and out of concern.
Farmer Jim Gerritsen of Bridgewater, co-owner of Wood Prairie Farm and a longtime organic farming advocate who helped lead a lawsuit against Monsanto challenging genetically engineered corn seed practices, said he is “skeptical” about the genetically engineered potato.
“With the new generation of potatoes by Simplot, the company is reviving consumers concerns about acrylamide, which could be harmful to the potato industry as a whole,” he said Monday. “Plus, it seems appropriate for Simplot to put more information on the label so that consumers can make a more informed decision over whether to buy their product or an alternative. Consumers would like to know if there is any long term health studies on this new potato, because there will be interest on whether this genetic engineering application creates concerns with digestion or other eating aspects of the potato.”
Gonring, of Simplot, said that it could take between a year and 16 months before the EPA finishes its review of the second generation potatoes. Simplot’s first generation potatoes already have been ruled safe by the FDA, USDA and EPA.
