The United States Department of Agriculture approved a genetically engineered potato resistant to bruises and with lesser carcinogenic substance.
The 'Innate Potato,' manufactured by Agribusiness company Simplot, contain altered DNA so that it contains 75 percent less of a chemical called acrylamide, a potential cancer-causing substance that is produced when the potato is fried.
Aside from that, the GMO potato also resists bruising and not turn brown hours after being cut, a desirable characteristic that potato growers have been wanting for ever since.
Potatoes bruised during harvesting, storage or shipping can significantly lose value and become unusable, which will have detrimental loses to farmers.
Innate potates have been tested previously in eight states already: Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Indiana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Washington and Wisconsin between 2009 and 2011.
Simplot reassured that the potatoes have not introduced bacteria or genes from other plants to make Innate potatoes, instead, they simply manipulated the potato's own genes in order to come up with a better product.
Simplot's "game changer" Innate potato will be sold as a healthier alternative and will also be supplied pre-cut to restaurants and supermarkets across the country.
The question now is whether big fast food chains will make use the GMO potatoes.
One big name, Mcdonald's, is seen as a candidate for the use of the potatoes since Simplot supplies frozen French fries to the fast food chain back in the 1960's and until today remains a major supplier, supplying over 50 percent of Mcdonald's French fries.
The Innate Potato was never shy of detractors. An anti-GMO food group opposed the idea.
"We think this is a really premature approval of a technology that is not being adequately regulated," said Doug Gurian-Sherman, plant pathologist and senior scientist at Center for Food Safety.
The Food and Water Watch group has also pushed a petition signed by more than 100,00 people asking McDonald's to ban all Innate potatoes.
