On Oct. 8, 2024, Okanagan Specialty Fruits^® (OSF), the developer and grower behind the innovative Arctic^® apple varieties, announced that its fourth apple variety, Arctic® Gala, had received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to proceed with commercialization. This was the final step in the regulatory process and follows approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2021, and earlier approvals this year from Health Canada (HC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

The Arctic Gala joins the product lineup of OSF’s previously approved apple varieties, which include Arctic Golden, Arctic Granny, and Arctic Fuji. The Arctic Gala, along with its predecessors, are the only apples that are specially developed to be the ultimate sliced apple, capable of staying as fresh looking and tasting as fresh-picked fruit.  

By turning off the enzyme responsible for enzymatic browning, polyphenol oxidase (PPO), Arctic apple varieties resist browning caused by bruising and slicing, reducing the number of apples damaged throughout the supply chain and extending the shelf life of their fresh sliced products to an unprecedented 28 days.