Washington Potato Growers Don’t Use GMOs

It’s a hot buttoned issued in the agriculture community.  The use of Genetically Modified Organisms in food production.  But one area where that is not an issue, is Washington potatoes.

Chris Voigt, executive Director of the Washington State Potato Commission told the Washington Agsays genetic alterations are done via traditional breeding, which is not GMO based.

“We export so much of our potatoes and our potato products over seas, and generally our Asian customers are much more sensitive about GMO products than here in the U.S.  So, for the most part we don’t invest really at all in any type of GMO work here in Washington state.”

Voigt noted that doesn’t mean Northwest producers are opposed to using GMOs.

“You know, the technology has come a long so far to where literally you could take a gene our of a wild potato and insert it into a new potato that we have here.  You could do that in nature but it would just take maybe ten, 20, 30, 40 years to pull it off where you could do it literally overnight in a laboratory.”

Voigt again, reiterated that until customers request them, Voigt says they will not grow GMOs in Washington.

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