Okanagan company gets green light to commercialize non-browning apple

An Okanagan company that specializes in novel tree fruit varieties developed through bioengineering will soon have a new and innovative product on grocery store shelves.

Okanagan Specialty Fruits (OSF) has received the green light from Canadian regulatory agencies to commercialize a non-browning apple.

In a release, OSF says Health Canada has told them it has no objection to the food use of their latest apple variety, Arctic Gala.

The government agency said the new GMO product was “no different than the three varieties previously approved by the agency and now commercially grown by the company.”

According to Health Canada, the Arctic Gala apple does not display any novel traits and is substantially equivalent in use and safety to other commercially-available apples.

The decision was applauded by OSF CEO and co-founder, Neal Carter.

“This is an important step in our efforts to add a fourth apple variety to the Arctic family of apples and continues our sustainability efforts to reduce unnecessary apple waste,” he said.

“Our ongoing commitment to innovation and expanding the Arctic apple lineup reflects OSF's dedication to meeting the evolving needs and preferences of consumers, culinary professionals, and foodservice partners.”

OSF says the Arctic Gala was developed by turning off the apple’s own polyphenol oxidase, the enzyme responsible for enzymatic browning.

That allows the fruit to resist browning caused by bruising and slicing, OSF notes, which reduces the number of apples damaged throughout the supply chain and extends the product’s shelf life to an unprecedented 28 days.

The approval from Health Canada comes three years after the Arctic Gala was approved by the US Department of Agriculture, while the new apple variety is still under review by the US Food and Drug Administration.

OSF is a vertically-integrated company, based in Summerland, that was founded in 1996.