Genetically modified purple tomatoes are set to hit grocery stores for the first time: 'You're basically looking at a blueberry in tomato clothes'

A plump, plum-colored tomato might be making a splash in Australian supermarkets soon, according to the Guardian.

The new aubergine-colored nightshade is a genetically modified variety of produce that gets its color from snapdragon genes. Cathie Martin, a University of Cambridge-trained biochemist, worked for two decades to develop the Purple Tomato, NPR reported.

The idea was to create not only a beautiful specimen but also a tomato with higher levels of anthocyanins — antioxidants that help fight cancer and inflammation.

The tomato has been available in U.S. markets since 2024, with the seeds marketed to home gardeners to demystify "transgenic" foods by allowing people to grow them themselves. Nathan Pumplin, the CEO of Norfolk Plant Sciences — which sold the tomato seeds — said, "We aim to show with this product and with this company that there's a lot of benefits that can go to consumers through biotechnology, better taste, better nutrition as prime examples," per NPR.

In Australia, All Aussie Farmers is tasked with producing the violet veggies available in stores. Travis Murphy, its managing director, suggested using them in salads and even making purple tomato sauce. They're so packed with nutrition that he said, according to the Guardian, "You're basically looking at a blueberry in tomato clothes."

However, some people hesitate when it comes to GMO food, and with good reason. Companies like Monsanto have been accused of serious wrongdoing, including exposing employees to high levels of carcinogens.

But this perception is beginning to change as the benefits of genetically modified foods are better understood — like resilient corn grown by Bayer or drought-resistant wheat that could prevent massive crop loss.

And the more healthy, hearty fruits and vegetables are available and accessible to consumers, the more they can begin to incorporate them into a nutritious diet with plants as the stars of the show.

As for the eye-catching Purple Tomato, not only will it grace your salads with a lovely grape-colored hue and pack a nutritional punch of antioxidants, but it also — according to Travis Murphy — simply tastes "a lot sweeter and juicier than normal tomatoes."

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