Wenatchee, WA

BIOTECanada has announced that Okanagan Specialty Fruits (OSF) has been named the winner of this year’s Gold Leaf Award in the category of Early Stage Agriculture for bringing non-browning Arctic® apples.

The awards are presented by BIOTECanada, Canada’s national biotechnology industry organization, to companies and individuals “that have made significant contributions to the development of Canada’s biotech industry.”

According to BIOTECanada, the winner of the Early Stage Agriculture category “will have distinguished themselves from their peers with demonstrated technology innovation and achieved milestones.”

The award reflects significant progress in bringing non-browning Arctic® apples to market in both the U.S. and Canada. OSF’s flagship project underwent public comment periods in both countries in 2012, receiving over 5,000 comments total. These comment periods represent two of the final steps before Arctic apples are commercialized, which will be the culmination of over a decade of development. Once approved, OSF believes these non-browning apples will benefit growers, packers, processors, retailer and foodservice by reducing food waste and shrinkage, increasing packout quality and offering exciting new product options to consumers.

The award will be presented at the 2013 BIO International Convention in Chicago on April 23rd at 4pm.