US: Calyxt’s bruise-resistant, non-browning GMO potato variety cleared for sale

The USDA has advised the potato’s developer, Calyxt, the cultivar is not a “regulated article” under federal law because it doesn’t contain genes from plant pests. Because most commercial biotech crops incorporate genes from plant pests, they were subject to environmental analysis and a risk assessment from USDA before they were deregulated. In the case of Calyxt’s “PPO_KO” potato, the variety was created through the “knockout” of an unwanted gene that causes bruising without leaving plant pest genes in the crop. The Center for Food Safety, a prominent critic of genetically engineered crops, is skeptical of the PPO_KO potato’s benefits. More