Yes We Have No Tomatoes! - 16/03/2010

Actually we do, British tomatoes are currently arriving on the market in increasing quantities and there is also some increase in the crop area this year, as new production facilities come on stream. The problem causing the current shortage of supply, which is likely to last into the spring, is that we now import over 80% of the tomatoes we eat in the UK. Crops in the Canaries and southern Europe have been badly affected by cold weather, which has reduced supplies and ensured that those which have arrived here have won few prizes for their taste.

In contrast, British crops are grown in glasshouses and have stayed snug and healthy, despite the iciest of blasts.

So why do we import so many tomatoes and why have so many British producers, especially the smaller family companies, gone out of the tomato business? There was a massive investment in primary agricultural industries in southern European countries, such as Spain, following their accession to the EU. Improvements to transport systems and the development of ‘long-life’ tomato varieties to withstand their long journeys, contributed to a big increase in supplies. A strong British pound also made imports cheaper and we had a string of warm winters - until the last two, that is.

To answer the last part of the question, this is because many local wholesalers and greengrocers who smaller-scale growers used to supply, have also gone out of business, unable to compete in the modern, aggressive retail environment.

If British producers are simply not competitive, they have no reason to complain. Neither do consumers, if they are not worried about the flavour and freshness of the tomatoes they buy, their nutritional value, how they are grown and the reliability of their supply. With the pound at an all time low against the Euro, imports aren’t all that cheap anymore either.

With billions more mouths to feed on the planet and food security moving higher up the political agenda, it doesn’t make much sense not to maximise food production from our own resources. British tomato growers can increase production, but they need the confidence to invest, which comes from getting a consistently fair price for what they produce, the best tomatoes money can buy. It wouldn’t do our economy any harm, or employment or the nation’s health either.

We don’t expect you to buy British tomatoes just because they are British however. We hope you will buy them because you think they are better. Did you know for instance, that home grown tomatoes can contain upto six times the lycopene concentration, the health protecting pigment that makes ripe tomatoes red, than imported long-life tomatoes?

So don’t wait for gaps to appear on the shelves and prices to rocket, spare a moment to think about where your food comes from, whilst there is still a choice.