Toxins and ‘Taters
They’re not just a vehicle for ketchup or aioli, and they definitely shouldn’t be a vehicle for pesticides. Potatoes joined the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen in 2025,1 with chlorpropham detected on 90 percent of samples tested. Chlorpropham is an herbicide used to prevent potatoes from sprouting and was banned in Europe in 2019 after an investigation found there was a risk to consumers from both the residues of the pesticide and its metabolites.2 Some of the risks include changes in blood cells and harm to thyroid function.3 Conventional potatoes are often sprayed by crop dusting planes, which also pose significant risk of pesticides drifting into neighbouring towns and environments.4 We’ll take our potatoes organic with a sprinkle of rosemary, not a smattering of pesticides!
“I Wouldn’t Eat Genetically-Modified Potatoes”
Potatoes have been considered high-risk by the Non-GMO Project for more than a decade, with various genetically modified (GM) potato varieties making their way onto our plates since the mid 1990s.5 While some are commercially available, others enter the food chain as animal feed. (Organic regulations prohibit GM crops from being used as animal feed—just another reason to look for organic options.) When GM potatoes were first introduced in the 90s, one scientist who studied their potential health impacts concluded, “If I had the choice, I would certainly not eat [GM potatoes].”6 Some 30 years later, we still have more questions than answers about the impact and safety of genetically-modified foods, and what we do know about their impact is concerning. Studies have shown risks of consuming genetically-modified foods, including endocrine disruption and the development of new allergies, not to mention the environmental impacts, including how GM seeds increase crops’ dependence on toxic pesticides and disturb surrounding ecosystems via drift and cross-pollination.
One example of what scientists have tried to engineer away is discoloration. We’ve all seen the way potatoes can bruise or turn green, and these changes are important indicators to show us where pathogens might have entered, pieces to cut off, or in the case of green potatoes, throw out entirely, as it indicates the presence of a toxin that can cause intestinal upset.7 While scientists have managed to make potatoes that don’t become discolored, the damage still remains. The Non-GMO project writes that even the company who engineered these potatoes worried they would be treated roughly during harvest and transport “because they give the impression of indestructability.”8
Molecular Farming, Say What?
Potatoes are not only genetically modified, but are victims of the newest “GMOs 2.0.” This means they are genetically modified using techniques that allow companies to avoid labeling the product as genetically engineered. For instance, potatoes are being engineered to produce proteins and compounds usually found in meat, egg, or dairy products, like casein. They call it “molecular farming.” After proteins are extracted as ingredients for other products, the potatoes themselves enter our food systems as animal feed. Because the processes they use allow companies to circumnavigate certain labeling requirements, one of the major concerns molecular farming raises is food allergies. Foods someone might have considered safe, like potatoes, become an allergen risk when they are injected with animal DNA or other cross-contaminants.9
Like all GMOs, we still don’t know the full extent of long-term health and environmental impacts of the bioengineered products and by-products.10 A sure way to avoid any GMOs is to choose organic—organic standards do not allow GMOs and have strict labeling requirements, so you know exactly what you and your family are eating.
Next time you reach for those tots, make sure they’re organic!
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