In early 1994, the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) announced that the
‘Flavr Savr', a new genetically modified
tomato produced by Calgene, was as safe as
tomatoes bred by conventional means. Thus
the Flavr Savr became the first fresh
genetically modified crop sold in the
world.
Calgene, a small start-up biotech
company based in California , genetically
modified tomatoes so that they could be
picked when ripe and transported without
bruising. They believed that the Flavr Savr
would have a longer shelf life than
conventional tomatoes, and would provide
processors and consumers with tastier
tomatoes.
The FDA approved the product. More
generally, it decided to regulate GM foods
in the same way as non-GM foods so they do
not require pre-market approval, arguing
that the two are the same or substantially
equivalent. Nevertheless, there was no
scientific evidence that the tomatoes were
safe for human consumption. In fact, the
FDA ignored the advice of its own
scientists who were concerned about studies
showing that the GM tomatoes could
potentially cause stomach lesions. In one
study, gross lesions were observed in 4 out
of 20 female rats fed one of the two lines
of transgenic tomato. In another study, the
rats had both gross and microscopic
lesions. The FDA, however, downplayed these
findings and did not communicate them to
the public.
In 1994, Flavr Savr tomatoes were
labeled as GM and sold under the
MacGregor's brand name. Initially they sold
relatively well, and were available in 2500
stores nationwide by 1995. Ultimately,
however, a combination of safety concerns
by consumers, the cost of the GM tomatoes
(about double the price of ordinary
tomatoes), the flavor (not better than
non-GM) and the tendency of the tomatoes to
bruise led to their withdrawal from the
market in 1997.
Ultimately, the world's first
commercialized GM crop was a flop. This
also led to the demise of Calgene, which
had accumulated heavy debts in the
development of the tomato. In the end,
biotech giant Monsanto bought Calgene, but
has never tried to introduce a tomato
similar to the doomed Flavr Savr.
source:
Soil Association
:
www.soilassociation.org
