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Will east-coast consumers need to start hording tomatoes? The situation isn't that dire yet, but the deep freeze that devastated Florida's tomato crop in January is leading to shortages at fast-food chains, supermarkets and restaurants.
The first sign of trouble is coming from Burger King, which has been experiencing "tomato outages." The chain has been running short on tomatoes for about week, leaving some disappointed customers without red ripe tomatoes on their Whoppers.
"There have been some spot outages of tomatoes in the Burger King system as a result of the severe weather conditions that recently affected tomato crops in the Southeastern U.S," Denise Wilson, Burger King's senior analyst of communications, tells ABC News. "We are working with our suppliers and distributors to closely monitor the situation and minimize these outages. Our guests are being notified of temporary outages by signage in the individual restaurants."
Subway has been more successful at providing tomatoes for their customers. The chain has been importing many of its red vegetables (yes, we know it's really a fruit) from Mexico instead of Florida. But the quality of the Mexican crop isn't always up to company standards, and workers are spending almost as much time weeding out rotten tomatoes as they are making sandwiches. Subway is also reducing the size of the tomatoes it's using, a tactic that may soon be employed elsewhere. We've heard that for now they are still perceptible to the human eye.
Since the deep freeze began, the Sunshine State's tomato production is down about 70 percent and may not go back to regular levels for at least another month.
Consumers in some communities are already feeling the squeeze. At the West Side Market in New York City, tomatoes that were just $0.99 per pound a month ago, now cost $1.89. A continued scarcity could force more retailers and restaurants to pass on additional costs to consumers.
We're not happy thinking about a world (even temporarily) with high-priced, low-quality tomatoes. Bacon and Lettuce sandwiches are a travesty. Let's hope the shortage is brief and that the term "tomato outage" is never used again.
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2-28-2010 @10:17AM Pauline said... Oh no! No tomatoes on Burger King ghetto food?
I hope they solve the problem by next December, so that their customers can count on getting their catered kwanza dinners at the BK drive-thru.
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2-28-2010 @10:24AM Larry said... oh no!!!!!!!!! no green tomatoes on my burger!!!!!!!! I think I'm gonna die!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHH
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2-28-2010 @10:41AM Sandra said... At Burger King, the tomato is the only thing that has any minimal nutritional value.
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2-28-2010 @11:31AM tom said... ALL YOU NEED TO GET OVER LOSING YOUR ******* TOMATOES ON YOUR ******* BURGERS. MY BEST FRIEND HAS ALZHEIMERS DISEASE! THERE IS NOTHIG THAT CAN BE DONE FOR HE. AND ALL YOU CRY BABIES ARE COMPLAINING "I CAN HAVE TOMATOES ON MY HAMBURGERS!"
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2-28-2010 @11:34AM joe said... I'd rather have no tomato than to have a Mexican tomato. I wasn't brought up to eat human waste on the product.
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2-28-2010 @11:38AM Amy W said... All the veggies we see in our supermarkets and resturants are shipped UNRIPE- they are picked before they are ripe and then artificially ripened by at modular facilities. If it is NOT farm fresh- from your local farmer- then the fruits and veggies are picked green. At the processing plants or during shipping these unripe fruits and veggies are gassed with ethylene, packed with calcium carbide, or other means to trick nature into ripening. This produces "pretty" fruits and veggies that can be harvested in far away places and shipped long distances.
This is a SHAME. Really folks, it is. The nutrients in a vine-ripened tomato is more robust in nutrients than an artificially ripened one. I'm not beating the ORGANIC OR ELSE drum here ... I'm stating the simple fact that a fruit or veggie ripened on the vine as nature intended is better for you than one picked before its ripe and artificially ripened. That makes sense ...RIGHT?
FYI- check out the movie FOOD, inc -- I was impressed that someone finally said something about what is going into our mouths!
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2-28-2010 @2:02PM john said... You hit the nail on the head..........
Plus if people watch this movie, they might just learn something. The movie is not one sided, it just makes you THINK about what you are eating and doing to your body.
2-28-2010 @12:08PM joeomar said... I grow my own tomatoes in summer. Once you get used to eating REAL tomatoes ripened directly on the vine, you pretty much give up on the tasteless things they sell in supermarkets or use at fast-food joints. Even during the tomato season, most supermarkets still sell tomatoes that are completely flavorless. I got desperate one winter and tried buying some incredibly expensive hydroponic tomatoes and they were awful. I can't WAIT for this winter to end.
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2-28-2010 @11:58AM Maggie said... At Burger King the Tomaoto is the least of your worries. Maybe ask for a little more lettuce instead of the 1 in by 1 inch square and some extra pickle's. Will help hold onto the bun with all the grease and slim from the burger. Subway is importing tomatoe's and using smaller one's. Also just ask for more tomatoe's. What the heck does that have to do with anything.
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2-28-2010 @11:59AM WILL said... RECENTLY I DROVE THRU THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY IN CA. (ONCE THE MOST FERTILE FARMING GROUNDS IN AMERICA) AND B/C OF SOME TREE HUGGERS THEY HAVE CUT THE WATER SENT THERE BY 80% B/C OF A MINNOW SIZED FISH CALLED THE DELTA SMELT ,
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2-28-2010 @12:47PM s h hurt jr said... The Delta smelt? Is that anything like a TWA smelt, or a Nothwest smelt? I'm sure it smelt like a fish.
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2-28-2010 @1:07PM Timothy said... So wait, you're telling me that food doesn't just magically regenerate? Well, then I've been misled! Since I'm American I expect everything, all at once, when I want it, and I also want it cheap, served by kind, happy people (regardless of their social situation). That's what I want. Yes.
Someone must not have been doing their job right since I don't get a tomato slice on my burger. That's like, my only vegetable of the day people. My health depends on it!
[all sarcasm]
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2-28-2010 @2:59PM Maccabbi said... Green tomatoes being picked for fast food chains and grocery stores.Why? Because they are gassed to turn them pink and then be refrigerated.Chain restaurants and Grocery stores do not sell real vine ripe old fashioned TOMATOES.P.S. ORGANIC does not mean it is not processed produce.Thankyou AGRICULTURAL MAFIA.
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2-28-2010 @2:43PM larryrice said... HHHMMM Kwanzaa catered dinners at the BK Drive-thru, if Mexicans go home? We all know the Kwanzaaites won't be picking dem tomaters not wit dat sweet welfare deal, No more cotton candy for Chuck, rap on de flo foot in da do, get to work middle class, the other 60% will sit on their ass. How many will miss that sweet little 20 year old who is pregnant carrying, has one in the stroller, and three others under five following along. Jesus, nice litter of anchor babies, senor!
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2-28-2010 @8:58PM Nevadacowboy1756 said... Everyone wants the mexicans to go home But........That will never happen Why?????? there are 50 million or more in the US and out of those 70% do not file tax returns...now take it they do not make much money anyway, they should get a refund of about 700.00 to 1400.00 dollars that they do not get back so every three years congress gets to spend that money on perks and pork....GOT IT NOW.......our congress has a open spending card with this, not for AMERICANS but for their own gain
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3-01-2010 @6:50AM Helen said... ttrexxx , Thanks for the first smile and laugh for the day and as far as the tomato having the only "minimal nutritional value", if I want to eat healthy I'll eat at my moms.
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2-28-2010 @3:16PM COWGIRL said... A CAN OF TOMATOES AND A FINELY CHOPPED ONION MIXED INTO YOUR HAMBURGER MEAT AND GRILLED, FRIED OR BROILED, MAKES A TASTY HAMBURGER TREAT FOR WINTER HAMBURGERS AT HOME. TOMATOES CAN BE GROWN AT HOME ALL WINTER IN A SUNNY WINDOW IN A POT OF DIRT. JUST ADD WATER AND FERTILIZER AND IN A FEW WEEKS, VINE RIPENED TASTY TOMATOES ARE YOURS TO ENJOY ALL YEAR. MAYBE BK SHOULD TRY GROWING THEIR OWN TOMATOES! THAT WOULD CREATE JOBS AND PROMOTE THE WELL BEING OF THEIR COMPANY. GIVE A MAN A TOMATO AND HE WILL EAT ONE SANDWICH, LEARN TO GROW YOUR OWN TOMATOES AND EAT ALL YEAR. GOD BLESS THE FARMER!
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3-03-2010 @12:36PM David said... It is amazing how IGNORANT most of you are. Most of the tomatoes that you eat in the winter are from Mexico. Most of them are VINE RIPPENED unlike the U.S. tomatoes which are ALL picked green then gassed. Also, tomatoes from Mexico are only allowed to be imported if they pass inspection for chemicals and quality by the USDA, WHEREAS U.S. grown tomatoes don't have to be inspected at all. Produce being imported into the U.S. has stricter rules and regulations than U.S. grown, therefore the produce that is imported is safe and great quality. Most of the food contamination that happens is from mishandling of the product in restaurants and supermarkets.
As for the photo, I can almost guarantee it was shot here in the U.S.
Most of you think that the produce you buy are U.S. grown...reality is that it is not. Why do you think you can buy most fruits and vegetables year round? Because they imported from Latin America, Canada, and other countries.
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