The US Department of Agriculture has approved two new bioengineered apple varieties that use genes from other fruit trees to resist browning when the apples are cut or bruised and exposed to air. Developed by a Canadian biotech company, the Arctic Granny and Arctic Golden apples will begin to reach stores late next year. Organic growers and critics of genetically modified (GMO) foods had opposed the USDA’s action, but the agency ruled that the apples are “unlikely to pose a plant risk to agriculture.”
