Many people are familiar with the most common GMO crops — corn, soy and canola — but did you know that some potatoes are also GMOs? GMO potatoes are so common that potatoes have been added to the Non-GMO Project's High-Risk List.

The High-Risk List identifies crops most likely to come from GMO sources. Non-GMO Project researchers look at criteria such as how a crop is used, how many acres are planted with it, and its potential to contaminate other crops to determine which crops are at a high risk of coming from GMOs. You can find out more about the High-Risk List here.

The varieties of GMO potatoes which are currently available entered the market in 2015. By 2018, these spuds had sufficient presence in the US supply chain and were added to the Non-GMO Project's High-Risk List. 

GMO potatoes — not their first rodeo

The GMO potatoes currently on the market are not the first of their kind. Agrochemical giant Monsanto engineered the first generation of GMO potatoes to produce their own insecticide. Food writer Michael Pollan chronicled his experience growing them at home. However, Monsanto's GMO potatoes came and went in the late 1990s and early 2000s without gaining the market share earned by more recent GMOs.

In 2015, the FDA approved J.R. Simplot's "Innate" White Russet GMO potato. The White Russet was engineered to reduce discoloration and to produce less acrylamide when cooked. The following year, the company added the Simplot "Innate" 2G Russet Burbank, which carried the same traits as the White Russet, plus protection from potato blight.

The White Russet and Russet Burbank were created through a genetic engineering technique called RNA interference, or RNAi. RNAi artificially interrupts genetic instructions from reaching their destination inside the cell, effectively "silencing" the expression of specific genes. The gene that causes discoloration when the potato is damaged has been silenced in GMO potatoes.

It's crucial to note that while the discoloration does not occur, the damage still does. One of the scientists behind Simplot's GMO potatoes has expressed his concern that they might be treated more roughly during harvest and transport because they give the impression of indestructibility. Not only do GMO potatoes conceal damage, their creator says, they conceal a lot more of it. Discoloration, though unsightly, serves an essential purpose by identifying places where pathogens might have entered.

Where are they now — and how can you avoid them?

GMO potatoes are part of the US food supply. Many grocery stores carry them in the produce section, bagged whole and raw. They might also be processed into other products, such as frozen foods and prepared products that contain potato or potato derivatives (e.g., potato starch, potato flour, dextrose, or potato alcohol).

Whole potatoes sold in grocery stores carry the name "White Russet" with language such as "reduced bruising" and "fewer black spots" displayed on their packaging. Because the USDA's List of Bioengineered (BE) Foods includes GMO potatoes, the bags must carry a disclosure, such as text, a website or phone number, or the BE logo. (While the Non-GMO Project supports mandatory labeling of GMOs, the bioengineered food labeling law in its current form can be complex and counterintuitive — you can find out more about it here.)

However, BE foods can be harder to discern when found in processed foods. For example, a product made from GMO potatoes as a primary ingredient (think potato starch) doesn't require a BE disclosure if there is no detectable DNA in the finished product. Or, a can of beef stew with GMO potato chunks would not require disclosure if meat is the first ingredient listed on the package. Even if water, broth or stock is the first ingredient and meat is the second, the stew still wouldn't carry a disclosure because those kinds of liquids don't count.

Restaurants and other food service venues using bioengineered ingredients are not required to provide BE disclosures. Interestingly, McDonald's, one of the largest potato buyers in the world, made headlines when it declared it would not use Simplot's GMO potatoes for its french fries. 

GMOs on the horizon

J.R. Simplot has several more GMO potato varieties in development that are not yet available. At the same time, other biotechnology companies are pushing the boundaries of genetic engineering techniques — and potatoes. Check out our New GMO Alert for the low-down on Finally Foods, a start-up working on genetically modified potatoes that express dairy proteins.

As always, the Non-GMO Project's dedicated research team monitors developments in the biotechnology industry and the state of GMOs in the supply chain — including changes to the High-Risk List. We work to provide up-to-date and valuable information so you can decide for yourself whether or not to eat GMOs.