A Technical Information Bulletin
of the
Northwest Horticultural Council

Bioengineered Food

For millennia, careful selection or traditional breeding methods have produced a wide variety of apples, pears, cherries, and other tree fruit now grown in the orchards of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Tree fruit growers and plant breeders have used these traditional methods to select desired traits for high-quality deciduous tree fruit.

Plant breeding and effective selection of key traits in plant genetic and genomic programs are essential to the long-term success of fruit growers and their customers, yielding beneficial characteristics related to size, color, taste, disease resistance, fruit storability, and transport, as well as novel rootstocks that result in more worker-friendly and cost-effective orchard systems. The Pacific Northwest tree fruit industry strongly supports innovative research in tree fruit genetics and genomics.

Modern agricultural biotechnology builds upon traditional breeding by employing emerging scientific techniques to select for desired plant traits. According to Public Law 114-216, which established a National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS), bioengineered food is defined as food that contains genetic material that has been modified through in vitro recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) techniques, and for which the modification could not otherwise be obtained through conventional breeding or found in nature.

Regardless of the science behind the technology, the Northwest Horticultural Council (NHC) is aware that concerns exist both in the U.S. and abroad regarding bioengineered (BE) foods. Recognizing these concerns, the NHC opposed federal approval of a petition for non-regulated status for three varieties of BE apples developed to be non-browning.

Despite the NHC’s opposition, BE versions of three varieties of apples (Granny Smith, Fuji, and Golden Delicious) with the non-browning trait developed by Okanagan Specialty Fruits, Inc. (OSF) in British Columbia have been approved by federal regulators for sale in the United States. These apples are currently sold by OSF in very limited quantities in certain markets under the “Arctic® Apple” brand. Consumers should be aware that the vast majority of Granny Smith, Fuji, and Golden Delicious apples available for sale in the marketplace are non-BE, and that federal law requires that all Arctic® Apples must be labeled as BE.

Orchardists in the Pacific Northwest remain committed to providing consumers with a safe, nutritious, and affordable supply of domestically produced fruit, while actively listening to their customers and working with agricultural scientists and government regulatory officials in addressing BE issues. The NHC will consider the desirability of the traits provided by BE technology, balanced with consumer views and marketability, in determining whether to support or oppose the approval of any potential future BE apple, pear, or cherry tree.

For more information on agricultural biotechnology regulation, go to USDA’s website or FDA’s website. 

The Northwest Horticultural Council represents the deciduous tree fruit industry of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington on national and international policy issues affecting growers, packers, and shippers. For further information, contact the NHC at 509-453-3193.

Updated 08/24/2021
Verified 2/6/2023