There are several genetic engineers who have renounced the technology and among them is Dr. Caius Rommens who is responsible for having helped create GMO potatoes. Rommens had been a team leader with Monsanto before he branched out to start his own independent biotech effort which would be a division of the Simplot company; he spent 12 years doing that work.

Rommens had been working on genetically modifying potatoes so that they could be resistant to bruising and disease etc. Simplot, was a major supplier of french fries, hash browns, and other potato products to McDonald's. However, McDonald's currently claims that it doesn't use GMO potatoes for its french fries.

Over time, Rommens allegedly began to have serious doubts about the potential health risks that might be linked with consuming GMO potatoes that are now sold all across the United States in thousands of markets.

His concerns eventually prompted him to write a book about it, known as Pandora's Potatoes, which is a case study on how the initial enthusiasm for the project eventually morphed into overwhelming fear and doubt, once Rommens had realized the true potential of the technology that he helped to create and bring to the shelves.

GMO potatoes are bruise-concealing and while natural potatoes might show discoloration to indicate which ones need to be thrown out because of toxins or bacterial pathogens etc, the GMO potatoes conceal that and look as if they are healthy because of the flesh color, therefore unhealthy potatoes could be eaten along with healthy ones.

“Ex-colleagues of mine had shown that PPO-silencing ((polyphenol oxidase, gene responsible for browning in potatoes) increases the levels of alpha-aminoadipate by about six-fold. Alpha-aminoadipate is a neurotoxin, and it can also react with sugars to produce advanced glycoxidation products implicated in a variety of diseases.” - Dr. Rommens.

When potatoes get damaged and bruised, because they might have accumulated certain harmful toxins etc, that tissue is traditionally identified by the color and consequently removed or trimmed. But with GMO potatoes, you cannot see that discoloration and the toxins are therefore have the potential to be concealed.

Rommens admits that he wasn't rigorous enough back when he was doing his work, in considering the possibility that his work might have unintended effects.

Once he decided to start researching, Rommens notes that he uncovered a list of issues with his GM potatoes that were like uncovering a Pandora's Box. In his experiencing working with Monsanto and Simplot etc, Rommens says that he thinks genetic engineers are too narrow-minded and biased in their work and because of that they might not be able to critically assess what it is they are doing, the implications that it could have.

“the absence of unintentional effects can never be guaranteed. It may take dozens of years before these effects reveal themselves, and we should be extremely cautious applying the technology.” - Dr. Rommens

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