The purple tomato is heading to market.
Norfolk Plant Sciences says it has successfully completed a consultation with the Food and Drug Administration regarding its high-antioxidant, genetically engineered purple tomato.
Following a comprehensive review, the FDA stated, “We have no further questions concerning human food derived from Del/Ros1-N tomato at this time,” according to a news release.
The first limited sales of the purple tomato have started to restaurants and at several farmers markets, Norfolk Healthy Produce CEO Nathan Pumplin said in an email. The company, which is the U.S.-based subsidiary of Norfolk Plant Sciences, is in the process of finalizing the market name for the purple tomato.
“The support and engagement we’ve received from the FDA, and from our industry, have been truly inspiring as we pave the way for the next generation of produce and food,” Pumplin said in the release. “With a tomato that captivates palates while promoting well-being, we look forward to sharing its exceptional qualities with enthusiastic consumers.”
This decision from the FDA aligns with the USDA’s positive decision in September 2022, marking a significant milestone for Norfolk, the release said. With this development, the company is ready to introduce a range of purple tomato products, including fresh tomatoes and seeds for home gardeners, according to the release.
Developed by professor Cathie Martin at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, United Kingdom, the purple tomato derives its exceptional antioxidant properties from two genes sourced from the edible snapdragon flower, the release said.
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These genes naturally stimulate the tomato’s ability to produce purple pigments, resulting in the vibrant hues of purple-skinned tomatoes, blueberries, blackberries and eggplants. Throughout the consultation process, the FDA closely reviewed the purple tomato’s composition, safety and other relevant parameters, the release said.
Purple tomatoes have a similar nutrient composition as their conventional counterparts, except for their intended higher levels of anthocyanins, the release said, and the FDA concluded that bioengineered purple tomatoes do not present concerns for human food.
“This is excellent news,” Martin said in the release. “Fifteen years after our first peer-reviewed publication, I am thrilled to share the healthy fruits of my research with tomato lovers and gardeners.”
Professor Jonathan Jones, co-founder of Norfolk Plant Sciences with Martin, said in the release that the FDA’s verdict “feels like a watershed moment.”
“Since Cathie and I founded NPS over 15 years ago, a challenging regulatory process has hindered our vision of a consumer biotech company that could add attractive and health-promoting traits to fresh produce,” Jones said in the release. “The challenges have been successfully overcome, and we are eager to introduce these crop improvements to the public in a product that enables consumer choice.”
Jessica Louie, chief technology officer of Norfolk Healthy Produce, said the company expects to expand the availability of the purple tomato in 2024.
