US Authorities Finally Approve Purple Tomato For Sale After Over A Decade

I say to-may-to, you say to-mah-to; chances are, both of us are picturing the juicy, red fruit. 

But now, a purple version of the ubiquitous ingredient could become more prevalent, as US officials have now approved a genetically-modified (GM) tomato after 14 years of research, allowing gardeners to buy and grow the “nutritionally enhanced” seeds from Spring 2023. 

According to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the modified fruit was deemed “unlikely to pose an increased plant pest risk” as compared to other naturally-occurring species of tomatoes. 

The purple tomato was first developed back in 2008 by Professor Cathie Martin and Professor Johnathan Jones under Norfolk Plant Sciences, the UK’s very first GM crop firm. 

The duo had engineered a precise genetic “on switch,” derived from an edible flower, to create a health-promoting version of the fruit containing higher levels of anthocyanin. 

As per the National Library of Medicine, anthocyanin is a compound that appears blue, red or purple, and comprises strong antioxidants. Scientists have long studied plant anthocyanin for its medicinal value, believed to have anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. 

“When Cathie and I founded NPS nearly 15 years ago to bring to market health-promoting, genetically enhanced purple tomatoes, invented in the UK, we never thought it would take so long to obtain regulatory approval,” said Professor Jones. 

“This is a red-letter day for crop improvement, with approval of a beneficial product by USDA, after careful scrutiny of a detailed information dossier that describes its properties. We also look forward to sensible regulatory frameworks for such products in the UK,” he added. 

[via Food Ingredients First and John Innes Centre, cover image via Alexander Bogdanovich | Dreamstime.com]