[acadapter]

It's not a matter of genetics. Store-bought tomatoes are almost always unripe, to make transport easier. Then they are treated with ethylene to artificially finish the final steps (but it's obviously not exactly the same result).

[outworlder]

It's not _just_ a matter of genetics. But I'm pretty sure the supermarket ones have been bred for looks and shelf life.

I've grown store bought tomatoes. Last year we hardly bought any as the production was enough even though I have a tiny backyard.

There is some difference. Supermarket ones are a little bit more bland, and way bigger. But the difference in taste is minimal and you can only tell if you got them side by side.

However, if I compare supermarket tomatoes in the US vs supermarket tomatoes in Brazil, the ones in the US taste like water. They look different too (the brazilian ones don't usually look like a cartoon drawing, they are less 'perfect' visually).

If I could import seeds (not allowed!) I would, just so I could finally compare like with like (weather conditions, soil, etc).

[cinntaile]

The most likely reason for that is that it is simply a different tomato.

[kevin_thibedeau]

The first transgenic product was a tomato that decayed slower so it could be picked later. It launched the anti-GMO movement and was taken off the market.