b"The Future of the Purple GM Tomato Lies with ConsumersConsumers will have access to the only GM tomato available on the market beginning in 2023.Ally RodenTOMATOES ARENT NEWto the methods and technol- Developed by Cathie Martin, a professor at the John Innes ogy of gene modification. In fact, a GMO tomato was one ofCenter, this GMO tomato contains genes made of powerful anti-the first GMOs in the produce sector available for sale in 1994,oxidants called anthocyanins. Martin began her research on how following approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administrationto increase the antioxidant capacity of tomato in 2002 where (FDA). This special tomato, known as the Flavr Savr, was devel- she discovered that genes in snapdragons could turn on the oped by Californian company Calgene with consumers in mind.synthesis of purple pigments.The tomato was genetically modified to extend its shelf life and bring consumers a better tasting and longer lasting tomato. Regulatory Approval Unlocks the Future of the Purple Despite massive steps forward for genetically modified foods,TomatoFlavr Savr was not a commercial success and ultimately wasOn Sept. 7, 2022, the USDAs Animal and Plant Health Inspection taken off the shelves in 1997 due to high production costs andService (APHIS) announced its decision to allow U.S. home financial troubles, according to Oregon State University. Over thegrowers to purchase and grow high-anthocyanin purple tomato following 20 years, there were various successful GMO prod- seeds beginning in 2023. The purple tomato is no longer ucts, but not in tomatoesyet this is about to change thanksrestricted due to regulations that limit Movement of Organisms to experts at Norfolk Plant Sciences (NPS) that have set out toModified or Produced through Genetic Engineering.bring a new GM tomato to market. This milestone regulatory decision was crucial for NPS, as Tomato has been developed for over 15 years, and we're nowthe nature of the regulatory framework in the past has made the looking to commercialize it as what will be the first GMO tomatoprocess nearly impossible for small companies with products since the Flavr Savr, and the only one available on the market, sayslike NPS purple tomato to go through the regulatory process Nathan Pumplin, CEO of NPS U.S.-based commercial business. without spending an extravagant amount of money.There's now a possible path for creative researchers and small companies to develop new products enabled with biotech-nology and get them out onto the market to consumers where they can be tested to see if it's something that consumers want, says Pumplin. This wasnt possible up until this year because,the nature of the regulatory framework was simply too costly and too long for products like ours, which arent going to gener-ate huge profits the way that corn and soy do.With this regulatory approval and ability to sell the prod-uct in the U.S., NPS hopes to show consumers the immense benefits the purple tomato can offer when added into their diet.Getting regulatory approval allows us to sell them in the U.S., which was important because many people argue that plant biotechnology has not provided any benefits for con-sumers. The purple tomatoes do offer benefits to consumersnot only for pro-tecting their health, but the tomatoes have a longer shelf life and look great, adds Martin.Now that the purple tomato has received regulatory 6/ SEEDWORLD.COMFEBRUARY 2023"