Florida Tomato Freeze

Florida Freeze Plagues Tomato Supply

State College, Pa. -- 5 March 2010 -- AccuWeather.com reports the early-January freeze that hit Florida greatly affected the tomato supply, and is currently responsible for keeping tomatoes off sandwiches and out of markets.

Good news for tomato fans: growers expect the April harvest to be much more successful, which will bring prices down again and bring back the quality.

AccuWeather.com meteorologists expect temperatures in Central Florida to warm up with the seasonal change to spring.

Although the middle part of the state will remain chilly through the weekend, nighttime lows should be in the 40s with a warm up coming next week.

"Daytime highs will be in the 70s across Central Florida most of next week, with parts of South Florida reaching close to 80 F," said AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski.

Nearly eleven days of below-freezing temperatures during the first weeks of January plagued Central and South Florida, wiping out long-term tomato supplies.

"Tomatoes are $42 per case, and to cut costs we're only serving tomatoes with sandwiches if customers ask for them," said Jamie Baldwin, Assistant Manager for Eat'n Park restaurant in State College, Pa.

Grocery stores and suppliers have had to hike prices after paying more to import tomatoes from other growing regions, like Mexico.

Average grocery store prices are currently close to $3 per pound, and normal pricing for this time of year is around $1 or less per pound.

Some Florida growers report as much as a 70 percent loss in tomatoes after the harsh winter.

Florida is the largest domestic grower of the winter tomato supply, although California also produces a significant portion of the tomatoes used nationwide.

Wendy's restaurants are also asking customers to make a special request for tomatoes on their sandwiches, rather than assuming they will be included.

Domino's Pizza has been relatively unaffected by the shortage, receiving its sauce and diced canned tomatoes from California.

Subway is using different varieties, as well as importing its tomatoes from Mexico instead.

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