Australia, New Zealand: Food standards watchdog calls for opinions on Simplot’s GM potato

The food regulator Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (Fsanz) has begun public consultation as it reviews whether to allow a potato that has been genetically modified to reduce bruising. The Innate potato, produced by Simplot, has also been engineered to produce less of the chemical acrylamide, which has been linked to cancer in laboratory animals, when it is cooked. Simplot is one of the largest privately held food and agribusiness companies in America. Steve McCutcheon, chief executive of Fsanz, said the potato had been modified by inserting genetic sequences from the potato in question and other wild potato varieties. Authorities in America and Canada have already given the green light to sell the modified russet burbank potatoes, which “are not materially different in composition, safety, and other relevant parameters, from any other potato or potato-derived food or feed currently on the market,” Simplot said. More