Branded fruit: How produce got “Honeycrisp-ified"

The produce aisle is undergoing a transformation characterized by the rise of branded, trademarked, and patented fruits and vegetables, a trend driven by both producer incentives and evolving consumer preferences. Legislative changes, specifically the 1970 Plant Variety Protection Act and the 1980 Bayh-Dole Act, enabled public universities to monetize agricultural research, turning innovations like the Honeycrisp apple into significant profit centers. Growers utilize these branded varieties to escape the "commodity trap," where undifferentiated products compete solely on price. Rutgers researchers Tom Orton and Pete Nitzsche illustrate this process through the development of the Scarlet Sunrise tomato, which combines unique visual appeal with labor-saving plant architecture. While market saturation poses a challenge for some categories, the demand for premium, differentiated produce continues to reshape the agricultural landscape, shifting the focus from mass-market commodities to specialized, high-value crops.