USDA Gives Greenlight to Purple Tomato After 14 Years

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has given approval for the sale of a new purple tomato that was developed by a company in the UK using genetic modification.

The new tomato from Norfolk Plant Sciences, which was modified to change its color and improve its nutritional value, "is unlikely to pose an increased plant pest risk compared to other cultivated tomatoes and is not subject to regulation," according to the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. This indicates that this plant may be safely cultivated and developed in the United States from the perspective of plant pest risk, the government said in a statement.

The USDA has given Norfolk Plant Sciences (NPS) permission to sell its nutrient-dense purple tomato seeds starting in the spring of 2023. The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) concluded that "the modified tomato is unlikely to offer an enhanced plant pest risk relative to its comparator," according to a Regulatory Status Review.

The purple tomato was created in order to provide the public with a "nutritionally improved tomato”. The developers have been working to get regulatory approval ever since it was completed in 2008.

The tomato was developed by Cathie Martin, a professor at the John Innes Center, who was doing research there. Together with professor Jonathan Jones of The Sainsbury Laboratory, she later founded NPS. The two ran into a lot of unexpected challenges when trying to establish their products on the market.

The US Gets Ready For Purple

Hundreds of people in the US have already expressed interest on the Big Purple Tomato website, claims NPS.

Even though it took 14 years to receive USDA certification, Nathan Pumplin, CEO of Norfolk Plant Sciences' US-based commercial business, is optimistic about the implications it will have for his organization and other researchers working on improved foods.

“The decision shows how changes to the APHIS regulatory framework will make it possible for small businesses and independent researchers to compete on the market with superior products that will benefit consumers and the environment. We're hopeful that we can start a small-scale distribution of purple tomatoes in the US in 2023,” he added.