The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday approved the first genetically modified potato for commercial planting. The potato was developed by Boise, Idaho-based company J.R. Simplot Co.

Simplot is a major supplier of French fries, hash browns and other potato-made products of the huge fast food chain, McDonald's.

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The genetically modified potato is engineered to produce less acrylamide that might be a cause of cancer, according to a report by Huffington Post.  The chemical is naturally produced by potatoes when they are cooked in high temperature.

Altering the potato will resist bruising that causes black spots in its outer layer during deliveries from markets to consumers.

The GMO or Innate potatoes were test-planted in places like Florida, Indiana, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin in 2009 and 2011.

Simplot's application approval for the commercial production of GMO potatoes was announced by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and reviewed by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration.

APHIS said they had received hundreds of both positive and negative feedbacks from different individuals and groups.

Some of the comments they received were from people who were opposed to the growing of whole GM crops in the U.S. due to safety concerns and demanded that these crops be labeled.

Positive comments were mostly on the health benefits of the GM crops to consumers.

Genetically modified crops have also been previously approved by the USDA on corn and soybeans. Ninety percent of U.S. soybeans and almost 89 percent of corn products are genetically produced for herbicide tolerance and other beneficial characteristics.

TagsGMO Potato, French fries, Mcdonalds, Genitically modified crops