The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced the deregulation of the Arctic® Apple, which is the first genetically modified apple to be approved for production, marketing, and sale in the United States. It also marks just the second time a genetically modified fruit crop has been deregulated by the USDA, with the first being the virus-resistant Hawaiian papaya (‘Rainbow’ and ‘SunUp’), which was deregulated by the USDA in 1997. Compared to the transgenic papaya, the Arctic® Apple has the potential to have a much larger consumer base and wider geographic market. Therefore, as expected, the Arctic® Apple’s deregulation milestone has prompted immediate and sometimes strong reactions from both advocates and critics of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Even before rendering its decision, the USDA received thousands of public comments on the pros and cons of deregulating the Arctic® Apple.