This post was originally published on GMO Answers' Medium page. Genetic modification prevents potatoes from bruising and browning and reduces asparagine, which enhances food safety. (Image Credit: GMO Answers) The potato is the most frequently consumed vegetable in the United States, which raises the question – are there GMO potatoes?

GM potatoes have reduced acrylamide, a potential carcinogen formed during frying. 7 GM potatoes reduce food waste via the non-browning/ non-bruising trait. Potatoes bruised during storage and transport contribute to 400M lbs. of food waste each year. 6 The GMO Potato: from Farm to Plate OES GMOs allow farmers to grow more with less resources.3

The following is an excerpt of an article in Genetic Engineering News that notes new breakthroughs in nutrition research that could bring healthier, more nutritious GM potatoes. Genetically modified crops have had no shortage of controversy over the years, much of it rooted in fear and the general lack of fundamental scientific knowledge.

Many of these GMO crops are used as processed ingredients in common foods – such as sugar or cornstarch. Only some varieties of papaya, potatoes, squash, sweet corn and apples may be available in your store’s produce aisle. You can find out the many benefits of …

GMO potatoes were developed to help the fight against food waste. Bruising, browning, and black spots are three issues that cause cosmetic imperfections in perfectly edible potatoes. The GMO potato was developed to resist these three issues, meaning fewer potatoes are thrown away. That means more on the plate and less in landfills.

These potatoes contain only genes from wild and cultivated potatoes and have been improved for reduced bruising, less browning and low acrylamide. Only a small portion of the estimated 170,000 U.S. acres of russet potatoes are considered GMO.

From personal experience with eating a range of foods that are GMO (like Bt sweet corn right out of the field, virus-resistant papaya or even foods made with products that are no longer with us, like bruschetta with FlavrSavr tomato and fries made from Bt potatoes), I can vouch that they taste just like any other sweet corn, papaya, tomato or ...

Only a small portion of the estimated 170,000 U.S. acres of russet potatoes are considered GMO. Answered By Joe Guenthner - Aug 28, 2015 A: No. Russet Burbank and Ranger Russet potato varieties that are farm-grown from genetically engineered seed were approved by the USDA (November 2014) and FDA (March 2015) and were introduced into the ...

Examples include bananas, cowpeas, cassava, eggplant, and sweet potatoes. Many people working in biotechnology are focused on uncovering good things about GMO food and the potential benefits of GMO technology and all that it can do to address complex challenges around the globe. Some of these ongoing an long-term goals include:

By comparing wild to farmed varieties, the scientists concluded that Agrobacterium DNA has been in sweet potatoes for more than 8,000 years. Naturally, prehistoric humans chose to farm the types of sweet potatoes that best suited their needs.