Hawaii's biotech papayas hold a lesson for America

By Ken Kamiya

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jul 17, 2012

~~<p>A new supply of fresh papayas from Hawaii is on grocery store shelves in Japan, and consumers have biotechnology to thank for it.</p>
<p>The first "Rainbow" papayas — genetically modified to withstand the deadly ringspot virus — are the first GM (genetically modified) food that Japan has approved for commercial release. It represents an important step for a country that has resisted a technology that is now conventional in North and South America, and increasingly common in Africa and Asia.</p>
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A new supply of fresh papayas from Hawaii is on grocery store shelves in Japan, and consumers have biotechnology to thank for it.

The first "Rainbow" papayas — genetically modified to withstand the deadly ringspot virus — are the first GM (genetically modified) food that Japan has approved for commercial release. It represents an important step for a country that has resisted a technology that is now conventional in North and South America, and increasingly common in Africa and Asia. Login for more...