Purple GM Tomatoes Prevent Cancer

Normally, when we select for characteristics in fruits and vegetables, it's to bring them closer to some modernist ideal: corn that's sweeter, lettuce that's crisper, cucumbers that are perfectly green and straight. However, a new strain of tomato out of the UK may soon topple the spherical red fruit from its iconic position. These purple GM tomatoes owe their unusual hue to a dark purple-blue pigment called anthocynanin. Not only does this antioxidant double the shelf life of tomatoes in the supermarkt, it also extends the lives of mice that are genetically predisposed to cancer. A tomato that cuts down on food waste and the incidence of cancer? Even if pasta and pizza will never look the same, maybe it's time to pass the purple.

Via John Innes Centre. Photo via Natural Eater.

Thanks to Peter Klomp for the heads up!