There are certain things that are the way they are and we ask no questions. Raspberries are red. Blueberries are blue(ish), apples are green or red, oranges are orange, etc.

One of these "just cuz they are" situations: tomatoes. They're red. Once ripe, they're red, no questions asked. Tomatoes play so heavily into our sauce culture, that we associate that bright red with ketchup, pasta and pizza sauce, salsa, and other various hot sauces.

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You're with me so far, right? Well, today I get to blow your mind for you see, science (and Norfolk Plant Sciences) has just created, yes created, the purple tomato. Que the "oohs and ahhs." And no, this isn't just a tomato for Vikings fans.

Norfolk Plant Science // bigpurpletomato.com
Norfolk Plant Science // bigpurpletomato.com
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While the above photo looks fake or photoshopped, it's not. It's real. It's 100% not photoshopped and, it's coming to an Iowa grocery store in the near future.

According to a Hyperbeast story, this genetically modified tomato is now approved by the United States Department of Agriculture to go on sale nationwide.

But what gives? Why purple? The tomato is loaded with anthocyanins - these give fruit and veggies their color, and they're full of powerful nutrients. Also a huge plus: the purple tomato will have double the shelf life of a regular tomato. The nutrients alone are eye-opening - the Hyperbeast story claims that in clinical trials, cancer-prone mice lived 30% longer when they added purple tomatoes to their diet. Not bad, right?

Now that they've been approved by the FDA, the purple tomato, known officially as the Big Purple Tomato, could hit grocery stores as early as next year. Oh, and yes, the juice is purple too.

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