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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • NOVEMBER 2017 3 MILLION


POUNDS! That’s how many


cranberries can be processed


through Ocean Spray’s Richmond receiving


station, one of the stops BC


Young Farmers made during their fall tour early last month. BC


growers will deliver up to 100 million pounds of


cranberries this fall.


CHRISTINE KOCH PHOTO


Arctic apples make official debut


November release slated for gene- silenced apples that don’t brown by RONDA PAYNE


SUMMERLAND – The journey from idea to science to orchard to store has been a long one for Neal Carter of Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. but Carter is thrilled to see the company’s much-discussed Arctic Apples make their


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public debut on store shelves this November. “After years


of hard work, we are thrilled to share that Arctic Apples will begin making their commercial debut in select US supermarkets this fall,” Carter says. “We anticipate our great tasting fresh slices of Arctic Goldens will begin appearing on store shelves at the beginning of November and selling as long as supplies last.”


The apples will be sold in 0 %


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Arctic-branded 10-ounce grab-and-go bags of slices in up to 400 supermarkets with a focus on the Midwest, according to Carter. He wouldn’t disclose the names of retailers. Test orchards of the apples, which have had a gene silenced to prevent browning, were planted in 2003 and 2005. Arctic Granny and Arctic Golden apples were approved for sale in the US in March 2015, followed by Arctic Fuji in fall 2016. The first commercial harvest of Arctic Goldens occurred in October 2016, which paved the way for more extensive trials last winter.


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select retail outlets in the Midwest, and built on consumer research in the US and Canada. “Our consumer research in both the US and Canada has consistently been very positive,” says Carter. “Taste testing from earlier in 2017 indicates that 95% of apple- lovers are either satisfied or very satisfied with Arctic Goldens, and the majority prefer Arctic apples to other fresh cut brands.” Carter cites a study from


Cornell University that found schoolchildren eat around 70% more apples – and waste far less – when apples are served to them as slices rather than as whole fruit. The fact


NEAL CARTER


that non-browning varieties stay visually appealing without any additives after being cut makes slices even more appealing and convenient. While


feedback from consumers has been strong and Carter sees the benefit of getting apples to consumers in a form they find more appealing, the Arctic brand has had its share of opponents. Some critics oppose the genetic


modification that created the apples. Others, primarily growers, are concerned that consumers will begin to associate the genetic modification with their own apples, leading to a loss of trust and sales. This has been a particular concern in the Okanagan, though commercial production of Arctic apple varieties is currently limited to Washington. Founded by Carter and his


wife in Summerland in 1996, Okanagan Specialty Fruits became a wholly owned subsidiary of Virginia-based biotech company Intrexon Corp. in February 2015. Carter jumped into the


non-browning apple bin in the mid-1990s when he learned about research into non-browning potatoes. As an apple grower, he saw an opportunity to increase fresh- cut apple consumption through enhanced visual appeal. It was a high-tech solution to the issue of declining North American apple sales. “Arctic Goldens will be the first of our delicious, non- browning apple varieties available to consumers,” he says. “We anticipate having additional non-browning varieties available in coming years, including Arctic Granny in 2018 and Arctic Fuji not long after.”


While he expects to market just 50 tonnes this year, Carter anticipates plantings growing from 250 acres today to 1,000 acres by 2020. This will mean more of the apples moving into grocery stores across North America, including Canada, which approved the sale of Arctic Golden and Arctic Granny in 2015.


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