Three types of potato, genetically modified to resist the pathogen that caused the Irish famine, are safe for the environment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has declared.

The EPA joins the Food and Drug Administration who approved the potatoes as safe to eat in early January.

The approval gives J.R. Simplot Company the permission to plant the three types of potatoes this spring and sell them in the fall.

The three new varieties, Ranger Russet, Atlantic and Russet Burbank, under the company’s Innate brand, are designed to minimize bruising and black spot, as well as reduce the amount of a chemical that is potentially carcinogenic that develops when potatoes are cooked at high temperatures, according to AP. 

The new varieties are also engineered to resist the pathogen, a water mold, that caused the mid-19th century Irish potato famine. 

The potatoes will be mostly grown in Idaho and Wisconsin and will be sold in supermarkets across the USA. 

Relate articles: 

Simplot Innate Potato Varieties are approved in Canada 

Simplot Plans to Expand Its Grand Forks Potato Processing Plant 

Simplot’s First Generation of Innate Potatoes Receives Canadian Government Clearance 

Simplot’s second generation of Innate potatoes receives FDA safety clearance