Somewhere between a science experiment and a status symbol, a fruit has quietly been rewriting what we think grocery shopping can look like. It sits inside your local upscale store, surrounded by ordinary yellow pineapples, and yet it stops people dead in their tracks. It’s pink. Genuinely, strikingly, almost unnervingly pink on the inside. People pick it up, turn it over, and wonder if it’s real.
It is. Completely. And its story is far more fascinating than the color alone. Let’s dive in.
A Fruit That Took 16 Years to Build
Here’s the thing about the Pink Pineapple – it didn’t happen overnight. Del Monte reportedly worked on the pink pineapple for 16 years before its release. That’s longer than it takes to raise a child to adulthood. It’s longer than most companies spend on any single product, full stop. Honestly, that’s the kind of commitment that deserves a little respect, no matter how you feel about the end result.
Fresh Del Monte started working on this one-of-a-kind fruit in 2005, wanting to create something different in both look and taste. Six years later, Del Monte tested four plant generations that were grown in Costa Rica from 2010 all the way to 2014. The path was long, the obstacles were real, and nature apparently did not cooperate easily.
The Pinkglow pineapple received FDA approval in 2016 and was marketed for the first time in October 2020 by Fresh Del Monte. That gap between approval and launch tells you something. Even after the science was done, bringing a bio-engineered luxury fruit to market still took time.
So, What Actually Makes It Pink?
This is the part that surprises most people. The pink color isn’t a dye. It’s not a trick. The food giant Del Monte has created a genetically engineered pink pineapple that owes its rosy hue to higher concentrations of a pigment called lycopene. Lycopene is completely natural. In fact, you eat it every time you bite into a tomato or a slice of watermelon.
All pineapple fruit contains lycopene before reaching maturity. In traditional pineapples, the yellow-colored flesh is the result of a reduction of lycopene and an increase in the yellow pigment beta-carotene as the fruit nears maturity. What Del Monte essentially did was hit a biological pause button on that process.
In typical yellow pineapples, high levels of enzymes change the pink pigment lycopene into a yellow pigment called beta carotene. To make the pineapple pink, scientists reduced that particular enzyme, so the pineapple stays pink instead of turning yellow. Simple in concept, wildly complex in execution. Think of it like unplugging a single wire in an electrical panel to change which light bulbs glow.
The Precise Science Behind the Bio-Hack
If you want to get properly into the weeds here, the science is actually remarkable. The Pinkglow pineapple expresses the tangerine (Citrus reticulata) PSY gene, which is a rate-limiting enzyme in carotenoid biosynthesis during fruit development. In addition, the endogenous lycopene β and ε cyclase genes were suppressed by RNAi. In plain English, scientists borrowed a gene from a tangerine and switched off two of the pineapple’s own genes.
Researchers used genes from other pineapples and tangerines to suppress the expression of carotene, so more lycopene builds up in the pineapple’s interior flesh. Lycopene is a red pigment, which is why the build-up of this substance results in a pink pineapple. The process also involved changes to the fruit’s growth cycle, making it more uniform and controllable for commercial farming.
Del Monte also patented the transformation method, which involved the cultivation of organogenic pineapple cells with A. tumefaciens. This level of proprietary protection means nobody else can legally replicate the process. It is, quite literally, a one-of-a-kind fruit locked behind intellectual property law.
Is It Safe to Eat?
Let’s be real – “genetically modified” still makes a lot of people nervous. I get it. But the regulatory trail here is actually pretty thorough. Like all genetically modified organisms, the Pinkglow pineapple underwent extensive testing and close government scrutiny before it was released into the market. The Costa Rican government and the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it was safe to eat the fruit. The Pinkglow was also examined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which said it was safe and healthy like any other pineapple.
Both the FDA and Health Canada have approved this pink pineapple as being “as safe and nutritious as its conventional counterparts.” That phrase, repeated by multiple regulatory bodies across two countries, is about as strong a safety endorsement as a food product can get without being a medical supplement.
As with all GM foods, the pink pineapple went through a long and rigid regulatory process to ensure it’s safe for both humans and the environment. The pink color was created by turning off the enzyme that turns a pineapple yellow, and the product features no additional additives or health concerns.
Does It Actually Taste Different?
Here is where opinions genuinely divide. Del Monte markets the Pinkglow as sweeter and juicier than a regular pineapple, and many tasters agree, at least partially. Fresh Del Monte’s Pinkglow pineapple took 16 years to develop, featuring a naturally pink interior. The fruit is less acidic and less sweet than traditional pineapple, resulting in a more balanced flavor. That balance is actually what fans seem to love most about it.
One reviewer noted not experiencing that tingling sensation in the mouth that usually comes with pineapple. That perception of burning and tingling is caused by a group of enzymes called bromelain which breaks down proteins, including the proteins in your mouth. That’s why pineapple is known as the fruit that eats back. The Pinkglow pineapple contains less of this enzyme, which explains why the usual burning sensation is absent when eating it fresh.
Pinkglow is marketed to be juicier and sweeter than traditional pineapples. It also contains less bromelain than traditional pineapples, which is good news for those allergic to this compound. So for people who have always loved pineapple flavor but hated the mouth-stinging aftermath, this could genuinely change the game.
The Price Tag and the Luxury Positioning
I know it sounds crazy, but some people are paying serious money for fruit. Dubbed the “jewel of the jungle,” Del Monte’s Pinkglow pineapples cost roughly $50, way more than a regular yellow pineapple. When Pinkglow first launched online in 2020, that eye-watering price point was intentional. Scarcity, novelty, and premium branding were all part of the strategy from day one.
According to Del Monte Fresh VP of marketing, it’s a “very exclusive product that has a low production volume and takes approximately 15 to 24 months to grow.” That growing timeline alone justifies a premium, at least from a production cost standpoint. You cannot rush a fruit that takes up to two years to mature from soil to shelf.
In grocery stores, the pink pineapple now costs about $10, or roughly twice the price of standard varieties. Online retailers continue to sell a single fruit for $29 to $39. The price has come down significantly since launch, which tells you the fruit is finding a broader audience beyond early adopters and luxury foodies.
The Instagram Factor – Born to Be Photographed
Honestly, it’s impossible to talk about the Pink Pineapple without talking about social media. Del Monte didn’t stumble into virality. They engineered it, just like they engineered the fruit. Exclusivity suits Del Monte just fine, as Pinkglow is mostly marketed for its novelty and social media appeal. The whole identity of the product was built around shareability.
Pinkglow’s appeal seems to rest largely on its social media potential. A 2024 pineapple giveaway required entrants to like photos of the hashtagged GMO on Instagram and tag three friends in the comments. That kind of organic reach strategy is the modern equivalent of word-of-mouth, just turbocharged by algorithms and aesthetics.
Del Monte is selling genetically modified pink pineapples to status-seeking foodies who want to use food to “show off.” That framing is refreshingly honest for a brand. Since its debut, Pinkglow pineapples have become a global phenomenon, embraced by celebrities, influencers, and event planners for their visually striking pink flesh and vibrant aesthetic.
Where Is It Grown – and Who Controls the Supply?
There is only one place on earth where Pinkglow pineapples exist. This cultivar is grown on a single farm in Costa Rica. No other farm. No other country. No competitor. That single-source production model gives Del Monte total control over quality, but it also means supply will always be limited by geographic and logistical reality.
Del Monte is the only company growing pink pineapples, and no other agricultural licenses have been granted. The Del Monte Pinkglow pineapple is only grown on a select farm in Costa Rica. They’ve locked the production method behind patents and intellectual property protections so tight that even attempting to grow one at home is legally restricted.
The pink pineapple’s crown is removed before shipping. This isn’t just practical. It’s deliberate. Removing the crown prevents consumers from replanting the fruit and regenerating the patented variety outside of Del Monte’s controlled supply chain. It’s clever, slightly dystopian, and entirely effective.
Going Global – From North America to the UAE
For years, the Pink Pineapple was essentially a North American story. Until recently, the Pinkglow pineapple was only available in select markets in North America and Asia, making its arrival in the UAE a major global expansion milestone. That changed in mid-2025, when Del Monte made a strategic push into the Middle East.
Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., the world’s only grower of the patented Pinkglow pineapple, expanded the global footprint of its premium pink-fleshed fruit with an exclusive launch in the United Arab Emirates. Beginning June 2025, consumers in the UAE could purchase Pinkglow pineapples exclusively on talabat mart. The choice of the UAE reflects a smart market calculation. Gulf consumers already have a strong culture around premium gifting and luxury food products.
Varietal innovation is a key trend in 2026, and Fresh Del Monte is doubling down on its pineapple offer. With specialty cultivars now well past novelty status, sustained retail performance is shaping the company’s future strategy. The Pinkglow is no longer an experiment. It’s a cornerstone product in a growing luxury produce empire.
What Comes Next – The Rise of Designer Fruit
The Pink Pineapple opened a door that the food industry is now rushing through. Del Monte has also debuted other new varietals including the Honeyglow, the Precious Honeyglow, and the Del Monte Zero, a carbon-neutral pineapple. Later in 2024, they also introduced the Rubyglow, which features a reddish peel with yellow flesh, launched in China. Each new variety follows the same blueprint: genetic ingenuity, premium packaging, and a strong visual identity built for modern consumers.
From a performance standpoint, Pinkglow, Rubyglow, and Precious Mini Honeyglow have delivered consistent sell-through, high consumer engagement, and repeat purchase. That sustained demand translates into incremental category growth and stronger sales for retail partners. These are no longer one-hit novelty products. They are building a category.
People’s views on genetically modified foods may change because of the popularity of new and exciting foods like the Pinkglow. The success of the Pinkglow could also help the food business accept GMOs more generally. That may be the most lasting impact of this rosy fruit. Not the taste, not the price, but the quiet normalization of bio-engineered food as something desirable, beautiful, and worth seeking out.
Conclusion: A Pineapple That Changed the Rules
The Pink Pineapple is many things at once. It is a genuine scientific achievement, roughly 16 years in the making, born in a Costa Rican field and approved by regulators on two continents. It is a luxury product, priced well above its yellow cousins, sold in premium packaging without a crown. It is a social media object, designed from the very beginning to be photographed, shared, and envied.
It is also, perhaps most interestingly, a preview of where food is heading. The development of commercial genetically engineered fruit has been slow and limited, with only five genetically engineered fruits currently produced as commercial varieties. Advances in molecular genetics, particularly the new wave of genome editing technologies, provide opportunities to develop new fruit cultivars more rapidly. The era of designer produce is not coming. It is already here.
Whether you find that exciting or unsettling probably says something about how you relate to technology in general. But one thing is hard to argue with: nobody walked past a pink pineapple and felt nothing. What would you think if you found one in your grocery cart without expecting it? Tell us in the comments.
