Blight-resistant potatoes approved for sale in Canada

BOISE, Idaho — Three types of potatoes genetically engineered by an Idaho company to resist the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine are safe for the environment and safe to eat, Canadian officials said Thursday.

The approval by Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency means the J.R. Simplot Co. potatoes can be imported, planted and sold in Canada.

The company said it received approval letters from Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in the past several days. Health Canada spokeswoman Renelle Briand confirmed the approvals to The Associated Press.

“We have no objection to the sale of food derived from J.R. Simplot Company’s” potatoes for human consumption, Karen McIntyre, director general of Health Canada, said in a letter sent July 28 to the company.

Canadian officials in two other letters sent July 31 approved the environmental release of planting the potatoes and using the potatoes for livestock feed. Misshapen potatoes not considered top quality are used to feed livestock.

U.S. regulatory agencies approved the three varieties of potato — the Russet Burbank, Ranger Russet and Atlantic — in February.

The approval means the nations can import and export the potatoes that contain a gene resistant to late blight, which led to the Irish potato famine in the mid-19th century.