Seedy Saturday/Sunday Event Organizer Resources on GM seeds

Welcome to the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network’s resource page for Seedy event organizers. We have created this page of information and action suggestions to support Seedy event organizers to keep your 2026 events non-GMO.

Seedy Saturday events began in the 1990’s to keep seed diversity alive, to protect heritage seeds, and to respond to increasing corporate control of seed. (Learn more about the history and intentions behind Seedy events in Canada from Seeds of Diversity.)

The new threat of GM garden seeds in Canada is real.

For the first time, in January 2026, genetically engineered (genetically modified or GM) garden seeds started to be sold online in small packets to gardeners in Canada. Some small seed companies in Canada have already begun reselling the seeds online, and some intend to bring these seeds to Seedy events this year.

Keeping our Seedy events non-GMO is a shared responsibility.

The first GM garden seeds are the patented, genetically engineered tomato called The Purple Tomato™ from the US company Norfolk Healthy Produce. There are three GM varieties being sold in Canada which could appear at Seedy events:

GM Purple Tomato seed packets, with non-GM orange variety. Jan 2026.

Althea – Cherry tomato, dark purple skin and flesh, indeterminate
Dark Hollow – Cocktail tomato, dark purple skin and flesh, indeterminate
The Eleven – Cocktail tomato, dark purple and hazel striation on skin, dark purple flesh, indeterminate

There is a fourth tomato variety being sold by the company, an orange cherry tomato called The Beta, that is non-GMO.

Click here for more information on The Purple Tomato™

Take Action

Excerpt from the back of the seed packet. The GM tomato seeds have a patented gene sequence that is corporate property.

Here are some actions you and your volunteers can take to keep these seeds away from your event and to keep your event non-GMO:

Contact all your seed vendors directly and ask them not to sell the GM “Purple Tomato” seeds at your event. Some vendors may not be aware that the seeds are GM, or may not be aware of the controversy over GM seeds. The varieties of GM Purple Tomatoes in 2026 are “Althea,” “Dark Hollow,” and “The Eleven.” You can share our GM product alert or our webpage about The Purple Tomato.
Ask all of your seed vendors to pledge non-GMO and to sign the Safe Seed Pledge.
On the day of your event, scan all the seed vendor booths to confirm that none of your vendors are displaying or selling the GM tomato seeds.
Monitor your Seed Swap table*: We know this may be tricky. Educate your Seed Swap table volunteers about the GM tomato seeds and keep an eye out for any red flags (i.e. the GM variety names, confirm any purple tomatoes are non-GMO). *There is a very low chance of these seeds coming to the table because they are new in Canada, however we know some seeds were grown out illegally in 2025, so they could show up.
Share CBAN’s new action flyer to help support the campaign to Stop GM Garden Seeds: Each Seedy Saturday/Sunday event will receive a small bundle of materials mailed by Seeds of Diversity that include some copies of CBAN’s new action pamphlet. To order a larger quantity of pamphlets for your Seedy event or other related community events, or to get posters and more information, please email Fionna at outreach@cban.ca, or order pamphlets directly at this link: https://cban.ca/take-action/protect-our-seeds/order-pamphlets/
Play CBAN’s short video about the issue of GM garden seeds: Play the video during your speaker line-up, or play on a laptop at a table (the video will have captions, if it is too noisy to play with sound.) The video will be approximately five-minutes long, and will be available soon. Please email Fionna for the link if you are interested in playing it.
Subscribe to CBAN’s campaign listserv for relevant updates and action alerts