USA Today | January 13, 2000 | By James Cox
BRACKNELL, England - AstraZeneca gave birth to the genetically modified tomato, a breakthrough fruit no longer grown, processed or marketed.
The Anglo-Swedish biotech pioneer spends $60 million a year trying to engineer hardier plants and crops. Yet its revenue from agriculture biotechnology is zero.
But even with European consumers so hostile toward genetically engineered foods, AstraZeneca executives say the company is ideally positioned to profit from gene-manipulating technology. That's because everything in its research pipeline is six or seven years from reaching consumers.
By then, "maybe common sense will prevail," says Nigel Poole, former external relations chief at AstraZeneca's agrochemical division.
At the company's research center west of London, scientists are developing bananas that resist fungus, potatoes that won't blight and rice with vitamins that make it healthier and proteins that make it ideal for Japanese sake wine. Researchers also are using genes to re-engineer corn and wheat so the grains can be made into plastic, thus reducing the need for oil.
But the company's big discovery is its GM tomato. By isolating the gene responsible for ripening, AstraZeneca created a firmer fruit. That meant less damage during harvest and transport, less energy to process and lots more paste per tomato.
AstraZeneca's tomato paste made a big splash on British supermarket shelves in 1996. Shoppers got 21% more for the same price as paste made with ordinary tomatoes. Company surveys indicated that 67% of those who tried the paste thought it was the best they'd ever tasted.
Today, the tomato is no longer sold, a victim of Europe's backlash against genetic modification.
The company grew its first tomato crops near Fresno, Calif., banking on permission to eventually grow them in Italy and Spain. European regulators have yet to give their OK.
Retailers' enthusiasm has cooled as consumers' wariness of GM foods has grown. AstraZeneca sold the last of its bargain-priced GM tomato paste in June.
Officials at the company hope to resurrect the tomato someday. For now, they say, they must wait for a more reasoned climate and debate.
"Frustrating? Extremely," says Kendra Gittus, tomato biotechnology manager at AstraZeneca. "It was a good, safe product."
