The GM Purple Tomato has been modified to produce natural purple and blue pigments known as anthocyanins in the fruit as it ripens Australia’s Office of the Gene Technology Regulator…

The GM Purple Tomato has been modified to produce natural purple and blue pigments known as anthocyanins in the fruit as it ripens

Australia’s Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has issued licence DIR 218 to All Aussie Avocados Pty Ltd, trading as All Aussie Farmers, allowing the commercial release of a genetically modified tomato developed to produce purple-coloured fruit.

The GM Purple Tomato has been modified to produce natural purple and blue pigments known as anthocyanins in the fruit as it ripens. Anthocyanins are compounds commonly found in a range of fruits and vegetables and are responsible for red, purple and blue colours.

Under the licence conditions, the GM Purple Tomato may be grown across Australia, subject to restrictions in some states and territories for marketing purposes.

Following a comprehensive risk assessment, the Gene Technology Regulator concluded that the commercial release of the GM Purple Tomato poses negligible risk to human health and safety or to the environment.

Approval for the tomato and its products to be sold as food required a separate assessment by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), which also sets labelling requirements for genetically modified foods. FSANZ assessed the GM Purple Tomato and determined that food derived from it is as safe as food from conventional tomatoes already available in the Australian and New Zealand food supply.

In October 2025, FSANZ approved the GM Purple Tomato for sale as food in Australia and New Zealand. The GM tomatoes and any food products derived from them will be subject to mandatory GM labelling requirements.