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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/03/genetically-modified-purple-tomatoes-australia>
"Caprese salads could take on a new hue after genetically modified purple
tomatoes cleared regulatory hurdles, raising expectations they would become the
first GM fresh food available in Australian green grocers.
The genetically engineered Purple Bliss tomatoes developed by Norfolk Healthy
Produce gain their vibrant violet from the genes of snapdragon flowers. The
tomato has been modified to produce pigments called anthocyanins, which are
found in blueberries and blackberries and thought to have antioxidant
properties.
In January, Food Standards Australia New Zealand cleared the GM fruit to be
sold fresh, as a whole tomato, or as an ingredient in processed food, such as
sun-dried tomatoes or pastes. When sold, the tomatoes, and products containing
them, must be labelled as genetically modified.
Separately, a licence issued by Australia’s Gene Technology Regulator enabled
the tomato to be grown in Australia, similar to conventional varieties. No
specific measures were imposed to manage risk, with the regulator determining
the fruit’s release posed “negligible risk to the health and safety of people
or the environment”.
The GM purple tomato is the second approval of a GM food that is likely to be
grown and sold as a whole food in Australia. A GM banana was approved in 2024,
but this is not yet available for sale.
Purple Bliss tomatoes are about the size of a cherry tomato, deep purple and
taste a lot sweeter and juicier than normal tomatoes, according to Travis
Murphy, the managing director of All Aussie Farmers, which holds the licence to
grow and distribute the tomatoes in Australia.
“You can just eat them straight as they are, or use them as you would any
normal cherry tomato in salads,” he said. “If you really wanted to use them in
sauce, you could do that and turn your sauce purple.”
The tomatoes were bio-engineered for health and nutrition, he said. “You’re
basically looking at a blueberry in tomato clothes.”
Murphy said they hoped to have the tomatoes available in local Victorian fruit
shops by around spring, followed by New South Wales and Queensland.
Purple tomatoes are already available in the US."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
