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The 'Flavr Savr' tomato

Broadcast Date: July 4, 1994

It seems like the perfect produce. The "Flavr Savr" tomato is the first genetically modified (GM) food to be approved for commercial sale. Calgene Inc., the developer of the tomato, says the GM tomato is tastier, firmer and fresher than a regular tomato. But not everyone is convinced. Although genetic modification is widely accepted when used in insulin or the human growth hormone, when it comes to the food supply many Canadians are wary, as heard in this radio report.

The DNA in a "Flavr Savr" tomato has been reversed to slow down the ripening process. This simple genetic tweaking means "Flavr Savr" tomatoes can ripen longer on the vine, allowing for more flavour than traditional tomatoes, which are plucked while still green. Considering tomatoes are one of the highest-selling produce with the lowest consumer satisfaction, Calgene Inc. is banking on the "Flavr Savr" tomato becoming a hit with shoppers.

The 'Flavr Savr' tomato

• "Genetically modified," "genetically engineered," or "transgenic" refer to the alteration of the genetic makeup of animals, plants and bacteria. Currently (2005) GM products include foods and food ingredients, medicines and vaccines, feeds and fibres.

• A genetically modified food, also known as "novel food," is a food product containing a genetically modified organism (GMO) as an ingredient. A GMO is an organism whose genome has been altered so that its DNA contains one or more genes not normally found there. This cutting and pasting of genes has led to GM food being dubbed "frankenfood."

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved "Flavr Savr" tomatoes as safe for public consumption in May 1994. Health Canada approved the sale of "Flavr Savr" tomatoes in February 1995.
• Being the first GM whole food commercially available meant "Flavr Savr" tomatoes became an easy target for those opposed to genetic modification of food.
• In 1997, "Flavr Savr" tomatoes were taken off the market due to poor sales.


• The developer of the "Flavr Savr" tomatoes, California-based Calgene Inc., was acquired by the biotech giant Monsanto in 1997.
• In 1991, DNA Plant Technology unsuccessfully attempted to produce a cold-resistant tomato by injecting a gene from an arctic flounder. Activists had a field day condemning these "fish tomatoes."

• In 2001, scientists at the University of California created salt-resistant tomatoes that can grow in uncultivable land — ground that is 50 times saltier than normal. According to studies some 25 million acres of farmland worldwide are lost each year due to salinity caused by modern irrigation techniques.

• Currently there are two main types of GM crops grown worldwide:
- The first is herbicide-resistant crops. Their use allows farmers to spray their crops with a powerful herbicide that wipes out everything but the crop itself.
- The second is a type of GM crop which has been modified to produce a toxin to kill pests that feed on it. Bt corn, for example, has been modified with genes taken from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis to produce a toxin in its leaves, stalks and pollen. The toxin kills pests such as the European corn borer that feed on Bt corn leaves.

The 'Flavr Savr' tomato

Medium: Radio

Program: The World At Six

Broadcast Date: July 4, 1994

Host: Dwight Whylie
Reporter: Nina Winham

Duration: 4:02

Last updated:
May 27, 2008