The First GMO Apple That Never Bruises Or Browns Hits Stores Next Month

Genetically modified produce may have been prevalent on our farms and in our shopping carts since the 1980s, when the Food and Drug Administration approved the first GMO crop, but we're still debating its merits and risks decades later. Despite continued controversy, the Arctic apple, the first-ever GMO apple that will never bruise or brown, will hit stores as early as Feb. 1. The apples will come to Midwestern grocery chains before the distribution expands nationwide.

Developed by Okanagan Specialty Fruits over the course of 20 years, the apple is a scientific anomaly in that unlike many of its GMO predecessors, it is not designed to resist bacteria or pests. Instead, its makeup was driven by customer convenience. When you slice open the apple, it won't brown from oxidation.

The apples were approved by the FDA way back in March 2015, but took almost two years to come to fruition.