Just in time to bring some color to holiday tables this winter, pink pineapples. No, they are not yellow pineapples dyed pink. They are pink pineapples that are grown that color.
Del Monte has been working on the Pinkglow Pineapple since 2005 and announced they are now for sale.
The food company, known for those little fruit cups, says the Pinkglow Pineapple is juicier and sweeter than normal pineapples, and takes 2 years to grow in the jungle in Costa Rica.
They are hand-picked in what Del Monte calls “ultra-limited harvests, uniquely and specially grown by the expert growers.” They arrive without their crown; Del Monte farmers remove it to replant in order to cultivate the next crop.
That might be why they cost $49 each.
“As a leading supplier of fresh pineapples throughout the world, Fresh Del Monte is committed to continuing to invest in our pineapple research and development program to meet the ever-changing needs of our consumers,” said Pablo Rivero, vice president marketing North America, Fresh Del Monte, in acompany statement.
“The Pinkglow pineapple is a product we are incredibly proud of — not only for its beautiful color and delicious taste, but also because of the care that went into growing and releasing it, as well as the sustainable method we’ve enacted to produce these new pink pineapples.”
In December 2016, the FDA announced they had approved Del Monte’s genetically engineered pineapple.
In their statement at the time, the FDA concluded that Del Monte’s “new pineapple has been genetically engineered to produce lower levels of the enzymes already in conventional pineapple that convert the pink pigment lycopene to the yellow pigment beta carotene. Lycopene is the pigment that makes tomatoes red and watermelons pink, so it is commonly and safely consumed.
Want one? These rare pink beauties are only available online.