Credit to | October 4, 2016 from AltHealth Works.com
In February 2015, just two weeks after the approval of the world’s first genetically engineered apple, the company responsible for its creation cashed in — to the tune of $41 million dollars, ($10 million upfront), all for a highly controversial product that most people clearly didn’t want.
The company in question, Okanagan Specialty Fruits, had battled protesters, petitions and even the press for months before finally getting approval for its new “genetically engineered apple that doesn’t turn brown,” which was given the green-light by the FDA despite no independent, pre-market safety testing and no feeding trials.
Now, after years of speculation, three different GMO apples are expected to hit store shelves. And with no labeling and little to distinguish the genetically engineered version from natural apples, millions of people are being kept in the dark.
Three New Untested and Unlabeled GMO Apples
According to a recent post from the Facebook page GMO Free USA, a new genetically engineered Fuji apple has been approved by the USDA, much in the same way that the original ‘Arctic’ apple was approved.
In total, three new genetically engineered, non-browning apples have been approved: Arctic Golden, Arctic Granny Smith, and now the Arctic Fuji apple. Gala apples could be the next in line as well. The first two were expected to hit store shelves this fall, and now the Fuji apple could join them soon.
Fuji apples are the latest variety that have been genetically engineered. Starting this fall, buying organic is the best way to avoid GMO Fuji apples. Photo via SpecialtyProduce.com.
Because of the lack of safety testing, consumers will serve as the guinea pigs for what is being dubbed the new “botox” apple. Unlike regular apples, the new GMO apples don’t turn brown when they go bad, leading many to wonder whether or not consumers could inadvertently end up eating rotting, contaminated apples without even knowing it.
Following their approval, the Organic Consumers Association launched a campaign to prevent companies from using the unlabeled “GMO apples that don’t turn brown,” and it has made headway with McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Gerber already pledging not to use them.
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