Branded fruit: How produce got “Honeycrisp-ified"
Summary
Planet Money explores the rise of branded "superstar" produce, tracing it to legal changes that allow universities to patent crops. Hosts Kenny Malone and Dan Pashman visit Rutgers University to taste-test the new Scarlet Sunrise grape tomato, developed by researchers Pete Nietzsche and Tom Orton. The episode examines how growers escape the "commodity trap" through differentiation and highlights a potential breakthrough in compact tomato plants that could significantly reduce farming costs.
Topics discussed
Introduction: The rise of superstar produce and the Scarlet Sunrise tomato
Visiting the Rutgers experimental farm to meet breeders Pete and Tom
How changing laws and university incentives drove produce branding
The breeding process: Combining Isis Candy and grape tomato traits
Economic analysis: Escaping the commodity trap and consumer demand
Taste test: Dan Pasman converts from grape tomato skeptic to fan
A bigger discovery: Compact plants that could lower growing costs
Outro: Sporkful podcast promo and naming the tomato cousins
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