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F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6 POTATO GROWER 29 People Product News The FDAs safety consultation was vol- untarily requested by Simplot and comes shortly after the USDA also deregulated the same potatoes the company said. These federal clear- ances involved a technical review and a public comment period. According to Simplot the second gen- eration of Innate potatoes contains four benefits of relevance to potato growers processors and consumers reduced bruising and black spots reduced asparagine resistance to late blight pathogens and enhanced cold storage capability. These benefits were achieved by adapting genes from wild and cultivated potatoes. Late blight the disease responsible for the historic Irish potato famine is caused by a fungus-like pathogen and still has the potential to devastate world potato crops. Innate Gen. 2 potatoes contain a gene from a South American wild potato species that provides natural resistance to certain strains of the pathogen according to the company. Pesticide Residues Do Not Pose Safety Concern For Food The USDAs Agricultural Marketing Service AMS has posted data from the 2014 Pesticide Data Program PDP Annual Summary which con- firms that overall pesticide chemical residues found on the foods tested are at levels below the tolerances estab- lished by the EPA and do not pose a safety concern. The 2014 PDP Annual Summary shows that over 99 percent of the products sampled through PDP had residues below the EPA tolerances. Residues exceeding the tolerance were detected in 0.36 percent of the sam- ples tested. The PDP pesticide residue results are reported to FDA and EPA through monthly reports. In instances where a PDP finding may pose a safety risk FDA and EPA are immediately notified. EPA has determined the extremely low levels of those residues are not a food safety risk and the presence of such residues does not pose a safety concern. Each year USDA and EPA work together to identify foods to be tested on a rotating basis. In 2014 surveys were conducted on a variety of foods including fresh and processed fruits and vegetables oats rice infant for- mula and salmon. AMS partners with cooperating state agencies to collect and analyze pesticide chemical residue levels on selected foods. The EPA uses data from PDP to enhance its programs for food safety and help evaluate dietary exposure to pesti- cides. Since its inception the PDP has tested 113 commodities including fresh and processed fruits and vegetables dairy meat and poultry grains fish rice specialty products and water. The data is a valuable tool for consumers food producers and processors chem- ical manufacturers environmental interest groups and food safety organizations. The 2014 Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary can be downloaded at httpwww.ams.usda.govpdp To obtain printed copies email a request to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Science and Technology Program Monitoring Programs Division.