News

New GE potato variety

A new potato variety is potentially coming to market.  USDA announced it is moving forward in the approval process and will be open to public comment in the Federal Register in the coming week.  The Russet Burbank variety, developed by the J.R. Simplot Company, is genetically engineered to resist late blight, black spot bruising and has a reduced sugar content.  This past November, the FDA approved several other Simplot’s potato varieties and found them as safe as conventional varieties.