News on GM Potatoes

The Two Blades Foundation (2Blades) announced a research partnership between 2Blades, The Sainsbury Laboratory, and J. R. Simplot Company to develop potato varieties with increased resistance to oomycete and bacterial diseases.

Bill Gates, who is a major backer of food biotechnology, has spoken passionately how food biotechnology can help the people of Africa fight the numerous challenges they face.

Scientists in Bangladesh (BARI) have successfully field-tested a genetically modified (GMO) potato resistant to late blight, one of the most devastating potato diseases. Once the regulatory trial is over in February, they will apply for release of the variety.

In Uganda, a series of field trials began in 2015 to assess whether twelve highly resistant GM plants of the ‘Desiree’ and local ‘Victoria’ variety provided by the International Potato Center CIP offer a durable resistance to late blight

The Food and Drug Administration has completed its food and feed safety assessment of the J.R. Simplot Company’s second generation of Innate® potatoes. Simplot will still need to complete its registration with the Environmental Protection Agency for these potatoes before introducing them for sale in the U.S. marketplace.

The US Agency for International Development has awarded Michigan State University (MSU) a $5.8 million cooperative agreement to improve potato production in Bangladesh and Indonesia. Additional partners include the University of Minnesota and J.R. Simplot as well as in-country partners in both Bangladesh and Indonesia.

Research shows that crops with stacks of two or more resistance genes from closely related species, introduced into the crop via for instance genetic engineering, combined with the simultaneous introduction of resistance management, can ensure the long-term resistance of these plants to economically significant and aggressive diseases.

The J.R. Simplot Company is pleased that the USDA has deregulated the Russet Burbank variety of the second generation of Innate™ potatoes. Simplot is looking forward to the completion of the EPA registration and FDA consultation before the second generation of Innate™ potatoes can be introduced into the marketplace.

Scientific results of the potato field trials in Flanders and the Netherlands demonstrate that gene stacking is necessary for a strong and lasting resistance to late blight (Phytophthora infestans).

Calyxt, Inc., a Minnesota-based company focusing on developing healthier food products, today announced that it has started the field trials of its cold storable potato.

Researchers in the United Kingdom aim for a new commercial potato that resists many of the worst vulnerabilities of potato crops around the world.

Snack Factory® Pretzel Crisps®, the world’s first flat-baked pretzel cracker, has announced that it has achieved Non-GMO Project Verification. Snack Factory will begin introducing Non-GMO Project Verified versions starting in Fall 2015.

The blog FrankenFoodFacts recently published a review of the Innate potato of Simplot Plant Sciences. This blog by Layla Katiraee, who holds a Ph.D. in molecular genetics and is a senior scientist at a biotech company, offers the most insightful review of the Innate Potato PotatoPro has seen so far.

Syngenta reacts to the acquisition offer of Monsanto reported in the media in this response dated May 8, 2015

Researchers from Ghent University and the International Potato Center have discovered that sweet potatoes naturally contain genes from a bacterium. Because of the presence of this 'foreign' DNA, sweet potato can be seen as a 'natural gmo'.

Cellectis Plant Sciences, Inc. has announced today that the Plant Biotechnology Journal has accepted the publication of its peer-reviewed manuscript demonstrating the phenotypic validation of potato lines developed by inactivating a single endogenous gene responsible for sugar accumulation when stored at cold temperatures.

New research from an Iowa State University economist, Wallace Huffman, found consumers were willing to spend more for genetically modified potato products with reduced levels of a chemical compound linked to cancer.

The first line of J.R. Simplot Co.'s genetically modified potatoes has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration as safe for human consumption. The voluntary FDA safety review found that the potatoes are as safe and nutritious as conventional potatoes.