Nonbrowning Arctic® genetically modified apples approved in the United States

 The U.S. Department of Agriculture has given a green light to apples that have been genetically modified so that they don't turn brown when you cut them open. The apples in question are modified versions of Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples. They're called Arctic Golden and Arctic Granny, and they were created by Okanagan Specialty Fruits, a small company in British Columbia, Canada. (From NPR)

Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. (OSF), a small, grower-led company based in Canada, developed its modified versions of Golden Delicious and Granny Smith by inserting extra genes it says are actually extra copies of genes that apples already possess, and as a result, the genes are "silenced:" They no longer produce the enzyme that's responsible for apple flesh turning brown when it's exposed to air.

Neal Carter, president and founder of OSF, said consumers will have to wait a little longer to taste the fruit as apple trees take several years to produce significant quantities. “Our focus is working with growers to get trees in the ground. As more trees are planted and they come into commercial production, there will be a slow, but steady market introduction.” He estimates Arctic apples will first be available in late 2016 in small, test-market quantities. And, just like any other new apple variety, he says, it will take many years before nonbrowning Arctic fruit is widely distributed.