On February 13 (2015), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved the first GMO apple, genetically engineered to not turn brown after it’s sliced.
The company (Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc.) that makes the apple wants you to believe that consumer demand was behind the invention.
But the real target customers for GMO apples are fast-food restaurants and food service businesses—companies that want mothers of young children to think they’re selling healthy fresh fruit, even if that fruit is a genetically engineered apple that has undergone no meaningful safety testing for human consumption.
Fortunately, it takes a while to grow an apple tree. So it may be a couple of years before the GMO apple shows up in grocery stores, fast-food restaurants, schools or hospitals.
In the meantime, it’s up to consumers to make sure the main customers for Okanagan’s frankenapple—fast-food restaurants who want to serve the apple in kids’ meals and salad bars—know that consumers don’t want ‘em, and won’t buy ‘em.