Purple GMO Tomato Gets Approval in US. Would You Buy It? Grow It In Your Garden?

[@howdyEB]

I'm so excited to grow these. They just released seeds for sale on their website. I cannot wait!!!

[@deborahcoyle7612]

Thanks for doing research on this topic, Angela. Personally, my back goes up when I see consumer goods that have been developed to suit our collective need for shiny/trendy/pricey. There are already so many interesting veg varieties that we can grow. I think I’ll stick with buying seed from the reputable sources out there.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

The company that sells this seed is a reputable source.

[@MN_Candy]

Baker Creek had to pull their Purple Galaxy tomatoes because this company made them test the DNA and verify they weren't GMO. Guess what!!!! You won't see those again. Strike 2 for Baker Creek.

[@tgardenchicken1780]

Thanks for this info. There are so many things going on and I can't keep track of all of them. I rely on folks like you to share the news they find. Love the research you have done, keep us posted, please.

[@cinziacinzia2327]

I love the questions you asked! What are the long term effects? Have the scientists carried out any studies with regards to that? This purple tomato may not necessarily be "bad" but its drawbacks need to be clear. The last time I checked, purple dragon fruit is deep purple and is dripping with anthocyanins. I'll just get it instead.

[@MN_Candy]

She said it has taken 10+ years to get approved. I'd say that's quite a chunk of time.

[@AaronAaron-p6f]

They're not any different than selective breeding; it's just faster.

[@jameskniskern2261]

Cool. I'll give it a try. Here's why : it wasn't designed to be resistant to herbicides. It was made to bring a side benifit to people. With the thousands of plants that are available as food sources for humans, we are continually breeding and testing and trying new things. We have orange carrots because someone thought a European monarch would be impressed. We have watermelon because someone thought it would be better without seeds.

[@jameskniskern2261]

@@francescapoteet5481 I absolutely do understand what genetically modified organisms are, and even how they are modified. I also understand that genes move freely (and mutate) readily in genetic replication. I also understand that breeding sometimes brings about "sports" which are genetically mutated naturally. These genetic sports can be an improvement or detrimental mutation. Many seed savers expressly look for sports to find new varieties of plants. My point, which was overlooked at least in your comment was that the reason for genetic manipulation for the Indigo tomato was not to resist pesticides/herbicides, but to bring a benefit which was not already there in the plant itself.

[@permiebird937]

The approval might be the important thing in all of this. It's like the American Chestnut Foundation, it was an older non profit organisation to preserve American chestnut trees. In the 90s, the organization was captured by GMO backers who are trying to get a GMO tree approved. Once any GMO tree is approved, the floodgates will open and any tree Biotech wants to produce, they know they will get approval. Do we want our forests and orchards to become Roundup ready tree plantations? That appears to be their goal. Biotech has shown an enourmus degree of hubris, they are not to be trusted, because what they care most about is profit, at the expense of all else. Human health be damned. After following the GMO issue since the early 90s, it mostly seems a way for biotech to patent life, and force everyone to pay royalties to biotech to eat. There might be a handful of appropriate uses for GMOs, I'm not convinced of that yet, but to market purple cherry tomatoes? Definitely not. I do not suffer from blind techno worship, and do not need or want GMOs. Most people who try to convince me that GMOs are good know nothing about plants or growing them, but are all sucked in by the "cool science", without any consideration of what downstream effects this tinkering might have. I was excited when I first heard of GMOs, and thought about the tropical fruits that I might eventually be able to grow at home, but soon found out it was all about profit and control of people.

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

You make a really good point about how the most significant part of this new story may be the precedent this product sets going forward. Thank you for bringing that up I had not really thought to talk about it. What does approval of this tomato mean for other genetically modified seeds for our Gardens?

[@ceili]

Well said

[@permiebird937]

@@ParkrosePermaculture Isn't this is the first CRISPER veg approved for home use? A new process should require FDA approval, because industry tech has a new bag of tricks, since the pink baseball of the "Flavor-saver" tomato was approved. Expect a whole range of GMO foods and seeds to come out of this approval. A purple cherry tomato is the perfect spokes veg for more of this nonsense.

[@NatureShy]

GMO trees sounds like a really neat idea. I can think of a few really important uses for them and I’ve always wondered why we don’t make gmo trees when we can make so many different gmo plants and fish. For example, whitebark pine, western white pine, limber pine, eastern white pine, sugar pine, and other pines in the white pine family. They’ve been attacked here in Oregon and across the west by both white pine blister rust and mountain pine beetle and wild populations of them have been decimated in some areas and threatened in others. Especially our iconic whitebark pine in the Pacific Northwest that has seen massive population die off. Perhaps we can bioengineer more disease and insect resistant versions to introduce into the wild. We’re already doing this with some species but with natural breeding processes (selecting for more disease resistant coastal redwoods or western white pines for example).

[@permiebird937]

@@NatureShy Biotech has not increased proven disease or pest resistant in plants. What biotech does is create resistance to the herbicide Glyphosate, then they rely on Glyphosate to manage weeds, and some pests. The biotech industry has known about the perils to trees like pines or ash who face insect pests, all along, but haven't done any work on that. There have been GMO attempts to make Bt producing plants, corn and potatoes, to stop insect pests, and the experiments killed all insects that interacted with the plants, but after repeated trials, a few insects began to show Bt resistance, so no permanent fix. The plants caused digestive inflammation in the lab animals who ate them. If you want to have glyphosate poured all over our forests, then biotech will happily develop roundup ready versions of the commercially important varieties of trees you want them to tinker with, but that seems to be Biotech's best efforts, that and adding color to things. Biotech is extremely expensive to do, so it's only worth investing the effort if there is high commercial value to be had at the end. Biotech experiments are expensive with high failure and unintended consequences rates. If the project can either create a profitable thing, like round up ready soy bean, or a glow in the dark pet fish, or if the project furthers a regulatory goal, like this purple tomato probably does, then it is worth doing, because it will lead to greater profits. I keep meeting people who think biotech is going to suddenly become an altruistic endeavor to "save nature," when it has always been brutal in the acquisition of profits at the expense of people and nature. These folk are in complete denile of biotech's history and motives. If one doesn't understand the history of Biotech, it's easy to fall for the blind techno worship that is forwarded by Biotech's propaganda. With Biotech's high failure rates, what is risked is the plants may reject the inserted genes or CRISPR edits, it happens, and then the trees would become unprotected, and possibly more vulnerable than a wild tree of the original variety that hasn't been tampered with. I expect biotech to keep acting like biotech has over the past 3 decades, and all I see at this point, is a huge and dangerous grift, that could cause untold harm.

[@floranlehmann7149]

good. Wint be buying these. Just personally I try to buy organic and grow as naturally as possible. Thank you for posting and all the work you do

[@ginatulip8679]

I think -don't mess with nature. I think there could be unintended consequences down the road that no one has accounted for.

[@glenncordova4027]

Almost none of our food is natural. There is no such thing as wild wheat or wild corn (maize). The more we learn about food history, the more we learn it is all unnatural.

[@ChristopherJohnsonArtist]

If they taste good and the seeds are available, I'd probably grow it just for fun especially considering you can't easily grow many berries in the tropics. (and frozen berries in the supermarket are not very affordable on a budget)

[@hanssmith8901]

Me as well

[@victoriajankowski1197]

I'd be interested but I too would be concerned about genetic drift, so I just went to their website and sent them a message about exactly that, we'll see if they answer. I'll share here if they do. I do believe that each GMO should be evaluated as its own technology since CRISPER is a technique more than a product, and some could be useful, even life saving while others not so much, even the dreaded round up ready products might have some... benefits, apparently in certain cases resulting in less overall chemical use, but honestly I think we need to just move away from mono-crops entirely but I do understand that there is no simple answer in a complex system. I don't know if the law was changed but the whole bad joke of the genetic drift issue is that at least in the beginning one of the legal requirements for GMO products was that they where self terminating, which should have also been a boon to the producer, but a certain company discovered there was more money in being litigious than selling seeds and chemicals, good riddance to them and hopefully their new owners have learned from their mistakes.

[@NicK-vd3hj]

This is a great step towards democratizing GMOs !

[@michaelmo-ri-ar-ty1016]

How will this affect surrounding crops as far as pollen/pollination is concerned

[@anniehosking2408]

Humans have a terrible track record at predicting consequences of introductions whether plant or animal or invertebrate. I'll probably never come across this particular tomato since I live in the UK but I would choose not to buy or grow it. Like you said we already have plants with high levels of anthocyanins. We don't need the novelty of a purple cherry tomato.

[@Coolguyallthetime2k]

What a great video! I’m curious how the anthocyanin content affects lycopene. I’m sure it can only hold so many compounds within it. I imagine there is a sacrifice there.

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

Oh, that question hasn’t even occurred to me! Now I’m wondering, too!

[@permiebird937]

That was in my top 10 concerns when I heard that news.

[@Coolguyallthetime2k]

😳🧐

[@Hayley-sl9lm]

What I wonder is how they'll grow when they have to spend so much energy on the extra pigment production. And how does all that anthocyanin affect the ripening? Are they going to take longer to ripen? It wouldn't surprise me if they turn out to be less genetically fit and less competitive.

[@kalirussell5982]

Legal question here; If companies patent these things so farmers and gardeners are not allowed to save their own seed, why do they not just make them sterile, and save tons of time in court as well as not run the risk of these genes drifting to places they are not wanted or places where the may cause harm to people or ecosystems? For example; If I am not growing gmo tomatoes but say my neighbor is, and I save my seed (not knowing they have been cross pollinated with the gmo ones) and then grow tomatoes from those seeds the following season, the company, rather than me, should be liable for this. If I can not legally grow those plants, this can harm me: 1, if the company found out and sued me that would harm me 2, by the time I find out (by seeing purple tomatoes on my plants) it would be too late in the season for me to start new plants from pure seed and I would be at a loss, especially if I were growing tomatoes for real sustenance or for market. This does not seem like people care.

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

Very good points.

[@barneygimble8984]

If the American legal system had any interest in protecting an individuals rights, you would win in court. But Bayer has already bought the decision just as Monsanto was suing ,and winning against farmers for having cross-pollinated plants . And round up has been proven to cause cancer.....so here we are

[@permiebird937]

Monsanto, now Bayer, has sued hundreds of farmers for patent infringement when GMO crops contaminate their non GMO fields. What Biotech and their GMO crops are doing to farmers is nothing short of criminal. The contracts the farmers end up in from the "seed company" meaning a rep from biotech, are debt traps that will cost the farmer their farm, because every step of the process is mediated by biotech and their pals, like equipment suppliers. They will keep adding requirements to the contract and once the crop is in, they own the seed elevators, and will find excuses to pay prices well below the seed company's original estimate. This causes thousands of suicides by farmers in any country these contracts are allowed in. It's been devastating for farmers in India, Canada, the US, and other countries for decades. Back in the late 90s, Biotech wanted to create plants that had a kill gene that would make the seeds nonviable, but they could not promise other plants would not take up this gene, and there was huge public outcry, that made the industry abandon that plan.

[@briansmith7223]

As long as you are not selling/making profit from seed saving or propagating of trademarked plants, Legally, you are good. It just brushes on ethics. Example: grafting fruit trees (apple, cherry, etc), many of these are copyright/trademarked, yet we will graft them to have more trees.

[@barneygimble8984]

@@briansmith7223 The question is. If your neighbor has patented crops and the y POLLEN ATE your crops ...can you be sued by Bayer. Answer is YES

[@VxiceheartxV]

Does anyone know where I can buy these? I can't find them anywhere. I love tomatoes and purple is my favorite color!

[@maryallan453]

Norfolk laboratories. They call it the purple tomato. A Google search will get you there. They are expensive - $20 for 10 seeds, but they sent me more. I sowed 7 and all germinated. The seedlings have just been potted up, they are vigorous and sturdy. I am growing them for curiosity. Whether I will save seeds and grow them again will depend entirely on how they perform

[@TheTinkerersWife]

Thank you for bringing this information to us Angela. This will be interesting to follow. I've wondered how long it would be until we saw something in seed come to market for home growers. I would be very surprised if any indication it is a GMO tomato will be visible. More likely it will be cloaked in the coat of those healthy anthosyanins that benefit the body. If they labeled it clearly GMO, the now ingrained fear of eating GMO veggies that many consumers have might bust sales of the tomatoes. But then we get lied to all the time by the food industry so they can make money at our expense. I'll be watching with interest. I don't know of any gardeners who would want to grow this if they knew it was GMO.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

No cloaking, it will be labled and there are plenty of us that know the technology is safe and will grow it.

[@glenncordova4027]

I would grow it.

[@maryallan453]

I am growing it. It says right up front on both the website and the seed packet that these are a bioengineered product.

[@AlicedeTerre]

I tend to treat the tech by itself as neutral. I don't see anything morally wrong with GMO's just by itself and there is a lot of fear mongering around it. On the other hand, because new tech is often time, effort, and resource intensive, it likely comes along with a pretty high price and the people and companies funding that research want to recoup or capitalize on it and that's where I see the problems coming in.

[@Lauratherose]

I can see a market segment for people with food aversions or ARFID or Autism where they don't eat a lot of food variety. It feels like a small segment. But for those people it's really cool way to "eat the rainbow". Not every food is for every person. Some people might not like blackberries or blueberries but love tomatoes and are looking for ways to amp up their anthocyanins.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

Yes!!

[@Harpysylph]

Doesn’t scare me, seems cool. I’d grow them.

[@fur3lis3]

As a scientist, I have been through the process of GMO and I would absolutely eat, buy, and grow these tomatoes! Yes, please! What is not discussed often is dose of consumption.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

!!!

[@gingerlily4404]

One potential positive for this particular GMO is that most tomatoes do not readily cross-pollinate without overt efforts. Still possible, but less likely to happen accidentally. And I do like the fact that they aren’t creating yet another GMO plant designed to encourage pesticide application. I do find the science of GMO technology extremely fascinating but the reality has been quite disappointing and irresponsible, in my opinion. Hopefully this tomato variety doesn’t have unintended negative consequences.

[@jarynn8156]

Roundup ready corn, which I presume is what you are eluding to, doesn't encourage pesticide application. It actually allows for controlled application. Roundup is a very powerful pesticide, requiring a lot less chemicals to be dumped per acre than traditional pesticides.

[@gingerlily4404]

@@jarynn8156 I appreciate your perspective. Yes, I’m talking about sugar beets, soy, corn, etc. I’d rather not get into any arguments about it, but I’ll just say I’m not super impressed with how things have been playing out over the past 20 years since some of the enthusiastic pushes for GMOs as solutions to various food crop problems. The vision and the reality seem to be quite different, from what I see.

[@justinarnold7725]

Are these GMO Tomatoes you are talking about in this the video that Baker Creek tried to pass off as Heirloom?

[@suzannezoubeck5216]

No...there are non-GMO heirloom Tomatoes. ❤☮🌎

[@GerryMantha]

Yes they are. Baker Creek pulled them off when they found out and blamed it on a distributer.

[@suzannezoubeck5216]

Sounds like a bit of a conundrum actually. Under the FAQ on the Baker Creek website, they say the lab tests were not conclusive regarding the presence of GMO materials so they pulled it off because of any doubts (though they leaned towards no because of the strict anti-GMO policies in Europe). But on the company website that owns the patent to the GMO Purple Tomato, they insist the lab work came out conclusive that it was GMO and that the only way to get a Tomato that purple is by their patented technique. I'd love to see the lab report. So at this point, it depends on who you believe but regardless, they're not selling them anymore.@@GerryMantha

[@wyrdfarm]

I mean, if it tastes good, sure!

[@pgm521]

For someone who grows, it is worth it. Also blackberries do not grow everywhere while you can grow tomato plant easy and fast nearly anywhere including indoors with the right setup..

[@ecocentrichomestead6783]

eventually they'll prove me right that inserting genes messes with more than just the target proteins.

[@dodiewallace41]

Absolutely would. It's just a breeding method.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

Great, some sanity.

[@Cocreatewithus]

NATURALLY purple produce is a lot more appealing to people than something that took 15 YEARS to make. I'll keep growing my purple and blue potatoes, thank you, that occurs naturally (this is one of the ancient native colors of original potatoes).

[@glenncordova4027]

I can't wait. Yummy 😋

[@victoriajohnson4420]

I will definitely buy, grow, and eat these tomatoes. I also use electricity and modern medicines.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

!!!

[@glenncordova4027]

Electricity and modern medicine are the devil's work. 👹🔥

[@RieCherie]

Funny! It will be the perfect tomato for that select segment of the population that only eats tomatoes. (I have never been a tomato lover. The yellow ones are less troublesome for my stomach.) But you are so right on, I much rather eat purple carrots, blueberries, blackberries, purple sweet potatoes, etc., then to get my purple from a tomato!

[@Victorhugomusic512]

Rare Seeds website will have them next year. Excited to try and acquire some to grow for fun. As for cross pollination, only if you’re saving the seeds for a new grow season. You can bag the whole plant and should help prevent cross pollination to keep the purple traights. If you don’t bag it, you could cross purple galaxy with others plants and see what they make.

[@Victorhugomusic512]

@@Jennian_M they pulled it off the website. Must be patented. It is on the front cover of the catalog. Hope they work it all out.

[@Cocreatewithus]

I wonder why in the world Baker Creek would have these? These are in no way heirloom, and that's all they carry. You're right though, purple tomatoes are on this year's cover. They are called "Purple Galaxy". Is it the same one?

[@MN_Candy]

​@@Cocreatewithusthe company forced them to DNA test their purple Galaxy and guess what!!! Baker Creek had to pull their seed stock. They were GMO. Strike 2 for Baker Creek from me.

[@suzannezoubeck5216]

Just checked the Rare Seeds website and under their FAQ there's an article talking about them pulling Purple Galaxy because they're not convinced they're not GMO and have said they are committed to not selling GMO seeds, so I think you're got it wrong that they'll be selling this GMO Tomato...ever. ❤☮🌎

[@maryallan453]

​@@CocreatewithusBaker Creek say no. Norfolk say yes, but politely.

[@DayTradingDojo]

The most successful fishing lure isn't the one that catches the most fish, but sells the most. They are going to make a lot of money because of social media.

[@LCamp-cr7fs]

Do I trust GMO produce that is based on the profit motive? Do I trust our production and legal institutions to safeguard us and our native flora from something with unknown long-term consequences? Of course not, especially when the modification is totally unnecessary.

[@TimWayneSF]

Every farm in the country is based on a profit motive. Do you think people farm out of the goodness of their hearts? What kind of hippie nonsense is this?

[@LCamp-cr7fs]

@@TimWayneSF Dear Tim, assuming that you know farmers and live where small farmers operate, you know that a small farmer rarely soils their own nest and heritage. They tend to think long-term and not beholden to stockholders who demand maximum profit at all costs. Do they wish to make a profit ... of course. Your comment is ridiculous on any level.

[@TimWayneSF]

@@LCamp-cr7fs You're the one who is throwing around "profit motive" as if farmers are functioning on a system other than capitalism. It's nonsense.

[@LCamp-cr7fs]

@@TimWayneSF Dearest Tim, I guess I didn’t express it clearly enough. Small farmers do have more than profit in mind, at least the ones I know now and the ones I grew up with. Their main goal is to preserve heritage, sustainability and a decent income. GMO produce is developed by entities whose only motive is to maximize profits regardless of costs to people and environment. Small farmers can’t do that. They live in the community where they work in addition to not having the capital to genetically engineer produce. If you can’t see the difference, I can’t help you.

[@TimWayneSF]

​@@LCamp-cr7fs GMO companies employ a lot of people at a lot of levels. There are scientists, environmentalists, doctors, researchers, statisticians, biologists, designers, sales people, shippers, marketing people, artists, drivers, janitors, management staff, receptionists, security, communications staff; basically, a ton of people in a lot of different jobs. Do you know anybody who has ever worked at a GMO company? You're making a lot of assumptions about the people who work at those companies, and their motivations for doing so, and I'm wondering if your assumptions are based on facts or based on whatever bullshit hippie nonsense where you get the rest of what's coming out of your mouth.

[@jamaica5930]

So several years ago, I recall hearing (from many sources) that all the seed companies (marketing to home growers) using the phrase “non gmo” were sort of like marketing milk as “gluten free”… As in gmo seeds were NOT available to the home grower, so all seeds available to the home gardener were ALWAYS non gmo. Is this not still the case? Or was it ever?

[@jarynn8156]

With the exception of this tomato, there isn't a single GMO on the market that is actually intended for human consumption. All the GMOs we eat, corn, soybeans, sugar beets, etc get heavily processed before they make it to your plate. So there was no reason to market GMO plants to the home gardener market because a home gardener has no reason to ever want to grow dent corn in the first place.

[@MN_Candy]

You're right. Before this, there were no GMO seeds available for home gardeners.

[@dfhepner]

This was interesting. I find it interesting that “no GMO” on a product is a selling point. What is funny is that some people will select a vodka that is made from none GMO stock for their extracts. How would fermenting and distillation transfer the GMO to the water and ethanol that makes up vodka?

[@glenncordova4027]

"No GMO" has been a terrific and profitable marketing scam. Hurray for capitalism! 😃

[@Cocreatewithus]

The grocery store i used to work at made an heirloom tomato available last year. Exciting, right? Well, they priced at $6 each. So they rotted. Fast. Why? 1) they rot quickly because they're heirloom, 2) Because no one wants to pay $6 just for one tomato. Can you imagine how much these purple tomatoes would cost? Ooooo flashy, bright! Yeah and? Unless you live in the city, you're probably not going to even see these in the store. Most people would rather eat blackberries and blueberries anyway, as far as purple is concerned. I can't see a lot of people paying, say, $10-15 for a little carton of these. And once very many consumers and home gardeners hear "gmo", they're like, hell no. Not buying that Frankenstein. Dont care how purple it is, it is NOT supposed to be like that.

[@glenncordova4027]

400 hundred years ago tomatoes were yellow and people said, red and pink tomatoes, disgusting, no one will eat that. 🤣

[@pablog.3906]

Indeed, experiments for profit and fashion may be an issue. They took 15 years in such a silly thing while I'm still waiting for some B12 GMO vegetable.

[@ciaragarrity6425]

This GMO tomato is not good due to the risks it poses to the genetic diversity of organic crops. Tomatoes are native to the Americas region and we have several different heirloom varieties, which are not genetically modified and are organic. May I suggest the Cherokee Purple Tomato and the European Black Cherry Tomato? Those two are non gmo and both contain the same quality as the GMO tomato, the black cherry tomato has even more benefits than the purple tomato. The deeper the color the more nutrients.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

This GM tomato is very good and poses no risk to any crop. The two tomatoes you mentioned you have no idea of the anthocyanin content so you cannot make the claim that they are the "same quality" or better.

[@IsInstantLife]

I am a "biohacker" I built a biology lab after leaving highschool to unschool myself. I specifically focused on plant genetic engineering. I wanted to spread the knowledge of genetic modification and make it accessible to more curious people. There are still a few projects I am interested in. But we are definitely a good way off from being able to employ genetically modified plants safely and beneficially. Our legal system, ecosystem, and economic system is not ready. I love the idea of a GM purple tomato but A. I think it should be made sterile and B. As a means of making profits feels so yucky. I would love to live in a world where communities make GMOs they are interested in but as we can see with every other application of GMOs it's just reinforcing an out of control economic system that thrives on hoarding technology, novelty, exploitation, as well as regulatory moral ambiguity. I dream of the day when communities grow their own drugs via algae bioreactor. Years ago I figured out that the science isn't the part of that dream that is lacking/need the most attention. It is our economic system and culture that needs the most help and will likely take many more generations of hard work from caring individuals to help ween us off the cocaine high of economic growth.

[@louiel8711]

It's kind a greedy of them, you aren't allowed to sell the tomato in a roadside stand and you can't sell any seeds you produce either and they want $20 for 10 seeds. Those seeds will never grow in my garden. Great video thanks.

[@Anjali-wy9mr]

Very nice and well researched video ❤👏🌼

[@HirschfeldHandknits]

I guess if it tastes good I might try to grow it... depending on cost. The whole antioxidant thing isn't a huge draw when I have blackberries in my yard (not by choice). But it would have to be affordable too... so probably not in the next few years.

[@noahmeme2]

It's available now, $20 for 10 seeds.

[@haroldnicholos7436]

Where can we buy these???😮😊

[@pgm521]

Are seeds out for sale yet?

[@MorePranaGardens]

I can not offer any direct links to information as this was relayed to me years ago from the parent of one of my athletes (I coached gymnastics for 26 years). The athlete had a severe peanut allergy and only a peanut allergy but she had been reacting to pizza from the large chains. University of North Texas, the mother told me, has found peanut DNA in some tomatoes. This presents the possibility that we have had gmo tomatoes without being told, as was happening with wheat some years ago.

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

Why would peanut genes be inserted into tomatoes? I find it hard to believe they would secretly insert peanut genes into tomatoes. What would the purpose of doing it without telling anyone be? It would be not only illegal and unethical but also not profitable for them, and genetic modification is an expensive process. I wonder if your friend misunderstood because for a number of decades there has been research into the tomato spotted wilt virus and producing peanuts that are immune to it, but no genetic material has been transferred back-and-forth between tomatoes and peanuts. It seems far more likely that peanut residue or dust in a kitchen would have been transferred to some thing that the allergic person contacted. I think there can be a lot of conspiracy theory stories out there about genetically modified foods. There are a lot of legitimate concerns but also a lot of good science.

[@MorePranaGardens]

@@ParkrosePermaculture I don't know any of the details which is why I prefaced my statement the way I did. What she told me is that she'd seen presentation boards from a research project and started asking questions from there. I wonder if thr school still has records of the research.

[@sstringfellowc]

You go, Angela!

[@wildedibles819]

I grow a purple tomato that turns yellow or red As it ripens There's 2 one smaller yellow one ripe and one red bigger one I don't like GMO but I think mine are Heirloom Carrots have more calcium these days too

[@harriettejensen479]

Likw you, I eat tomatoes for flavor. I also grow Indigo Rose tomato, but only because it also tastes good and I know that the color was conventionaly bred into it. I also do not buty tomatoes from the grocery store. both because I can grow them myself at a much cheaper prise and bcause I know that they are organically grown. However, if I had to buy tomatoes from the store, I would look for organic tomatoes. They cost a bit more than regular tomatoes, but I know they are not GMO. I certainly would not buy purple tomatoes. I do not want purple tomato sauce, that woud be totally unappetizing!

[@TheReaderOnTheWall]

YES! The pervasive incentive of Capitalism at work once again. There's a world of difference when we produce for our needs and not for greed.

[@ruthohare9840]

No, I absolutely would not buy it or grow it even if it were to be approved in the UK.

[@msms4659]

Going to try to focus on the Heirlooms going forward

[@miabagley2202]

Very interesting.

[@catherine8332]

Hi. For me if it were more affordable than blueberries or blackberries I would buy these purple tomatoes.

[@hanzketchup859]

I’m not going to be first in line, but we’ll see how it goes.

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

$20 for ten seeds was too rich for my blood!

[@ellemcclearly1800]

I just got mine. They gave me an extra 3 seeds 🙂@@ParkrosePermaculture

[@maryallan453]

​@@ParkrosePermaculturethat's really not that much as far as most hobbies go. A friend just paid several hundred for an old doll... At least I'll get food.

[@at1the1beginning]

Horizontal gene transfer is propably more common than one thinks. The problem that people have with this kind is that it's human induced instead of coming about through natural means. One possible (though unfair) rule to keep these genes from 'polluting' the natural populations is to only grow these GMO's outside of their natural range only. As for polluting similar agricultural crops from which a grower saves seed; I don't think that's very common nowadays. Most farmers buy in new seed every year; also because it's mostly obligated by law. Again, food for thought.

[@tthappyrock368]

You bring up lots of good points and so do the other viewers who have commented! The Hymalayan blackberries so many people here in the PNW battle continually are testiment to how even traditional crossbreeding can create a monterous problem. It was a great idea to try to produce a blackberry which didn't have thorns but after a few generations it reverted and also became a Gorgon. Unintended consequences are all too real. On the other hand, we know our climate is changing, could there be a benefit of having a tomato with this one's modified genes if we couldn't grow as many of the other crops with those properties? It seems our changing climate may necessitate thinking about things in new ways.

[@gardeningandlife137]

The thing about this is there are so many heirloom I'm doing blue for spring (They're actually black) What I wonder is who's approving all this? Government?

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

It is private industry that is driving this - because profit… But the approval process is done by the US Department of agriculture and it takes many years and lots of efficacy and safety studies.

[@justalurkr]

Did anyone turn purple eating it during the approval process? I think that's the key question! Seriously, though, as long as they're not inserting genes from a common allergen (and it passes the no purple people check) I think we're good.

[@lilangel97712]

What about garden Huckleberries?

[@shawnsg]

"Why not eat blueberries" The problem with this kind of solution is that we have a nutrition issue even in wealthy nations. Since we already have the "solution" but the problem still exist it's not really a solution. It's the same reason salt is iodized, breakfast cereal is "fortified" and so on.

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

Do you think that this tomato is the solution to our nutrition problems? $20 for 10 seeds? It’s a gimmick. Make the nutritious foods. We already have more available and fix our food systems so that people have access to the rich abundance of nourishing foods we have had for generations.

[@gustafandersson237]

Please don't show her a tomato that's not been genetically modified. She'd be horrified that everything she's growing is GMO

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

Selective breeding isn’t the same thing as inserting genes from another species. The argument that “everything we eat is GMO” bc we’ve bred it through selection is disingenuous. Yes, species are mutable. No, species don’t insert genes from another species into their genetic code in the process.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

@@ParkrosePermaculture Yes, species do insert their genes into another species. See the sweet potato. Everything we eat IS a GMO, just by different methods. Every crop we have would not have happened in nature long before GM crops came to the market.

[@glenncordova4027]

​@@ParkrosePermaculture Even humans have DNA from viruses and bacteria in our genome and that is completely natural

[@KatyatheBlack]

Hell no. I would not buy it. I would not grow it. I would be horrified if my tomato seed stock got contaminated from a neighbors garden growing these. I have recently been doing a deep dive on glyphosate and how it already contaminates nearly all wheat/oats/lentils/beans/corn/soybean… you get the idea. Also even organic produce through drift. Because GMO crops are so closely tied with Monsanto now Bayer, I deeply distrust any GMO product. Also this new labeling bill just got passed that lobbyists obviously had their hands in. GMO is now “Bioengineered” and is labeled on products in any of 6 different ways, all deceptive. There are major loopholes in the bill. The more I learn about the conventional food system, the more I want to opt out. It seems like the only food you can trust is the food you grow yourself or get from local farms… but this could threaten that too!

[@NicK-vd3hj]

Pesticides are the problem, not gmos. GMOs aren’t exclusively made by Monsanto. Just because Monsanto uses gmos for destructive reasons does not mean all gmos are like this. This tomato isnt made by Monsanto but even if it was, a GMO plant doesn’t magically emit pesticides, so there would be no harm if your neighbor had these plants growing.

[@noahmeme2]

I bought some of the seeds, I plan on growing them separately in a pot away from my other plants.

[@maryallan453]

​@@noahmeme2same here. So far I have had 100% germination and the seedlings are very vigorous. I have just up-potted them, and they have taken it very well, with no transplant shock. I will grow them in my orchard, away from my heirlooms, out of an excess of caution. But I am keeping an open mind

[@melstill]

Will the squirrels eat purple tomatoes? THAT'S what I really want to find out! 😉

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

😂😂😂 I wish they would stop eating my kiwi berries, that’s for sure!!

[@DukeGMOLOL]

No, there has never been a patent claim due to cross pollination. 9 minute mark. Why downplay this tomato as a source of anthocyanin? What's wrong with choice?

[@kastenolsen9577]

What about the tomato from monsanto that had the had a gene from the pig spliced in to make it taste better?

[@DukeGMOLOL]

What about that being false? If it were true though it wouldn't matter a bit since we all learned in high school that DNA is the Universal Language and that there is no such thing as pig DNA, fish DNA, fly DNA, or bird DNA. It's just DNA, nucleotides you see.

[@andrewreynolds5720]

Yum I knew there was something going on the the "Pink Boar" tomato! Yum Yum

[@DukeGMOLOL]

Angela, there has been no problem with GM soybean pollen drift where Monsanto comes in and sues them. It has never happened but is an enduring myth that even some of the most die hard GM haters agree is false. As far as the shade you threw on GM technology safety at around 11:48 that was uncalled for and was a breakdown in your research where you put in your opinion instead. Worldwide acceptance that GM technology is safe. At least you didn't totally trash GM and were very nice about everything. Regards.

[@Hayley-sl9lm]

I feel like this would slow ripening.

[@kylehackett162]

I would hoy buy or grow it because tomatoes should be red only. Purple is different from what I expect and therefore it is bad. HUURRRR DUURRRRR DERP

[@kylehackett162]

Not*

[@tannereldred7039]

An excellent video for reddit

[@slavicadimcevski9585]

Absolutely not. When we contaminate our crops through cross pollination of GMO crops, to me that signals extinction of a our natural plant varieties. We cannot control the wind, so therefore it would be better they weren’t released into the general garden population. Health consequences aren’t clear yet so for me there are too many unknowns to feel confident to purchase such products. Mt personal feelings.

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

I was quite surprised to find they want to release it as seeds for the garden. I am looking forward to hearing more on that because it does raise a lot of concerns for me as well.

[@judywood4530]

It is good to know what I can grow to increase life expectancy of my mice with cancer, but that begs the question: what quality of life did these mice have for that extended lifetime.

[@darthfiende1]

I echo your skepticism about science driven first and foremost by profit and the potential for unexpected consequences. I wasn't able to verify from your sources, but I wonder if the control group of mice was just fed pellets or another processed food. If so, any fresh food addition would likely have health benefits.

[@maryallan453]

As I understand it, the mice were either fed regular rations with the purple tomato added, or regular rations with a red tomato added.

[@Cocreatewithus]

Deadly Nightshade anyone?

[@Brennannnnnnnnn]

I’m sure there are no unseen consequences to any of this. We don’t make mistakes like that ;-)

[@ciaragarrity6425]

Sarcasm? By the way, there are non gmo tomatoes that are purple, called the Cherokee Purple Tomato, and also the European Black Cherry Tomatoes have more anthocyanins that give the purple color to the tomato itself. Both are heirloom varieties that are not genetically modified.

[@Brennannnnnnnnn]

@@ciaragarrity6425 yes, sarcasm. I have no faith that we are competent enough editing genes to avoid unseen issues down the line. I hope I’m wrong.

[@eingyi2500]

@@Brennannnnnnnnn I don't know, as long as you know what the gene codes for then the consequence is the fact that the introduced gene is expressed. There is exactly zero difference between a natural gene and a Cas-9 inserted gene besides how it got there.

[@TimWayneSF]

At 7:30, she gets to the only question I want to know: does this tomato taste better? But then she doesn't answer it. :-(

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

Because we don’t know if it tastes better. There isn’t any info on the flavor profile and we can’t grow it at home yet to try it ourselves. Can’t answer questions for which there is no available info.

[@nwolinsP]

I think it is fine for health and the environment. However, I find it unnecessary and unappealing. For the most part, we do not understand the mechanism behind why veggies are good for us. But there is solid data that people who eat a lot of veggies and layoff the animal products and animal produces are healthier than people who eat a lot of processed foods and animal produces. Also, more is not alway better. There is a some level an unhealthy amount of anthocyanins.

[@louise2209]

I’m in the U.K, so I can’t be 100% certain, but I thought it was currently illegal to purchase GMO seed without approval/licence in the USA. If that’s true, then it begs the question of how they will bend/amend the law to get this tomato in shops. Even without selling the seeds to home gardeners, the tomato is full of seed, so technically, your selling the seed… (along with the fruit itself…) I wouldn’t buy it if I had access to it. It doesn’t look appealing whatsoever.

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

Yes, they’re pushing the envelope here. It will be interesting to see how they get approval for home cultivation and how the industry will push for the laws to change now that the tomato is approved for human consumption and sale.

[@cindyinpcola]

Where are you people getting your information?! I am currently growing these tomatoes and you are free to share seeds with anyone. They are very healthy and are delicious. I don’t care for blueberries but love tomatoes. Bottom line is don’t grow them if you don’t want them. Mine are growing along side of Brandywine and no cross pollination has occurred. Stop trying to scare people with inaccurate information.

[@neatodd]

9:00 You are perpetuating myths about genetic drift and 'patent violation'. Stories of farmers being in violation of patents and being sued because genetic material from GM plants have drifted on to their land are false. Farmers have indeed been sued by biotech companies but only when they have deliberately planted seed containing patented genes without first obtaining the necessary licensing agreement from the supplier.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

That's right!!!

[@ssportslivetvstreaming]

I think that you should eat it because its a zombie tomato that will make you more intelligentlly sick

[@kerryfirehorse]

It’s definitely a gimmick & about the £, so I don’t see this as having long term availability. Once those interested have tried it, I’m pretty sure it will fade away. Personally, I don’t buy anything gmo- not even sure that this would be permitted in the U.K. but who knows post Brexit.

[@positiveworld-view8677]

No

[@utubegreats]

Nope! No GMO!

[@mariawhite1328]

No thank you! Wouldn’t be allowed in New Zealand thank goodness, no GMO allowed.

[@thatsalt1560]

No.

[@dianesaunders5414]

I don’t think I will buy it.

[@lexkek5625]

You can't buy GMO seeds. It's illegal for average citizens to purchase and way too specialized and expensive for us too. Purple and black tomatoes already exist as well that we can purchase and grow. Check out heirloom tomatoes many are pretty colors. The only difference between those and this one is that this specific tomato was probably heavily modified and breed to produce high levels of blue and purple pigments or it can be just a side product.

[@ROCKIN40]

H ell no GMO

[@lindaturgeon1618]

No I would not grow or buy this tomato! It disgusts me to even think about this.

[@davidgray1515]

Curiosity killed the cat. My advice is to stay far away from any GMO food.

[@philomenabrabazonobroin5236]

I too have a deep distrust of any unnatural interference in Gods creation, it will not be blessed

[@TwiGuy4]

whats funny is liberals scream about ev's being green and progressive, and yet scream equally as hard about stuff like this that is also progressive. hypocrites. choose a lane guys

[@DukeGMOLOL]

That's right.

[@glenncordova4027]

Not everything new is good and not everything old is bad, that's why you use your brain and good judgement. Don't get stuck in a lane to your doom only lemmings do that

[@maryallan453]

​@@glenncordova4027that is so. But the corollary also holds true. Not everything new is bad and not everything old is good.

[@ebybeehoney]

I'm not totally against GMO though I'm as leary as you sound about putting something "out there." To me, this is a gimmick. I have no interest in it. There's plenty of other sources for what they want to sell. And in the long run, with all the pretty tomato colors already available, I still prefer a deep red slicer.

[@jordanpc1489]

No.