Have you heard of the purple tomato controversy?
This is a black beauty tomato, a heirloom hybrid (the controlled crossing of different varieties of tomatoes through a succession of at least seven breedings to get a superior tasting, consistent producing seed that can be saved).
It’s one I grow every year and is one of the tastiest tomatoes I know. Also it has some extra nutrition because it’s purple skinned, although not purple fleshed -in the form of anthocyanin which has a number of health benefits. Purple foods like blueberries, blackberries, eggplants etc all contain this compound, and also add such beauty to our meals.
Then enters the world the GMO “Putple Galaxy” tomato, through the wonderful world of agribusiness. Norfolk Plant Sciences (genetically modified a purple tomato by crossing two things that would never happen in nature: a tomato and a snapdragon) and are making the seeds available to home gardeners. This is a big deal. GMO seeds have not been available to home gardeners before. They say it’s because of the added nutrition, disease resistance etc. They say it’s safe and so does the USDA.( important to note the USDA reviewed and accepted studies done by Norfolk themselves and does not do any additional testing).
So why would we need a GMO purple tomato when there are already so many other purple vegetables available?
Well, one theory is the cautionary tale of the GMO seeds are now patented and the rights owned by Norfolk. They now own the rights to these seeds. (Which may not seem like a big deal, but tell that to Canadian Farmer Percy Schmeiser, who was sued by Monsanto for saving his own corn seed, like he had done for decades before. they claimed had been cross pollinated with their GMO patented corn blown in from a neighboring field).
I also don’t want them messing with my food supply. I have all kinds of naturally occurring purple vegetables already I can eat. Thanks but no thanks.
So my neighbor buys these GMO Purple Galaxy seeds (pricey at $20 for 10 seeds) and they cross pollinate naturally by bees with my Black Beauty’s. I have no idea. I then save the seeds and now have a bastardized abomination that could never occur naturally in nature, only in a lab (snapdragons and tomatoes are two different species) and BAM ! I unwittingly am consuming GMO foods, which I try to avoid. I don’t want to be a guinea pig for these corporations.
Consider this: BASF, Bayer/Monsanto, ChemChina-Syngenta, and Corteva Agriscience are big corporations who own the rights to over two thirds of the world’s seeds and pesticides.
According to the Young People’s Trust for the Environment:
“Farmers are not allowed to sell any crops such as wheat, barley or oats without first having had their crop certified by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). If they try to sell any seed that is not correctly registered, they face legal action. The same applies for any crops such as field peas or yellow pins grown for sale as animal food. These regulations mean that farmers are obliged to use only seeds sold by the big companies recognised by APHA. They are also often obliged to buy and use the correct type of pesticide to suit the crop – a pesticide that has been produced by the same company selling the seed!”
Agriculture is 12000 years old at least. This is the first time in history we face someone “owning” life on this planet. Seeds are life to us as humans. We need them to feed ourselves. And thank goodness, I know so many of us that save our own seeds.
I think these companies have enough. I want them to leave my tomatoes -and my seeds- alone.
Jenn xx
