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FeedArctic apples get cold shoulder
The U.S. Apple Association, the Northwest Horticultural Council, and the British Columbia Fruit Growers’ Association have all stated their opposition to Arctic apples coming to market, citing concerns about consumer reaction but no fears about the safety of the apples.
They made their initial statements about 18 months ago, and reiterated them in July.
In a statement on its Web site, the U. S. Apple Association said, “USApple does not support the approval of this product.
“USApple’s position is not based on any question about human health or safety,” it said, but did not state a core reason for its opposition, citing instead that “consumers like their apples and are not calling for nonbrowning cultivars,” that browning is natural, and that there are no genetically engineered apples now in the marketplace.
Bottom line, it agreed that “Ultimately, the future of GE apples in the United States will be determined by USDA’s decision on the two petitions and by the marketplace. The market will have time to decide, since new apple trees take years to come into production after starting in the plant nursery and being planted in the orchard.”
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