Will Simplot's Innate GMO Potato Take Off? McDonald's Has Spoken

Would you be excited to pluck a bag of precut, gleaming-white potato slices from supermarket produce bin—fresh not frozen, and ready to throw in the pan or the Fryer?

Your answer may decide the fate of the "Innate" potato, which has been genetically engineered to resist browning and to contain less of the amino acid that turns into acrylamide—a probably human carcinogen—when potatoes are fried at high temperatures. Developed by the agribusiness giant J.R. Simplot, a major player in the $3.7 billion American potato market, the product won approval last week from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The reason you can currently only buy frozen precut potatoes is that they turn brown quickly. The Innate solves this, uh, problem.

To understand why the success of the new potato will hinge on your desire for convenience, a little background is in order: Simplot is one of the three massive companies (alongside ConAgra and McCain Foods) that buy potatoes from farmers, process them into French fries—as well as tater tots, spiral fries, and wedges—freeze them, and distribute them to companies ranging from fast-food giants to supermarket chains.

If the Innate is going to take off, Simplot will have to win over three major factions: The first is farmers, who will pay a premium for those genetically engineered traits. According to Simplot spokesperson Doug Cole, they'll be able to "recoup" it the higher price because the GE potatoes will bruise less easily and farmers will have have fewer unsellable potatoes on their hands. The second group is big buyers such as McDonald's. The third is you and me—consumers.

McDonald's, which reportedly buys 3.4 billion pounds of potatoes annually in the United States (as french fries), probably won't be the driving force for customer acceptance. "McDonald's USA does not source GMO potatoes, nor do we have current plans to change our sourcing practice," a company spokesperson told me.