Florida on an aggressive campaign to spur movement of tomatoes
Florida on an aggressive campaign to spur movement of tomatoes
The Florida tomato industry has launched a campaign designed to reach consumers with the message that there is no shortage of tomatoes from the Sunshine State.
The effort includes participation from virtually every segment of the tomato industry " from suppliers to trade associations to the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services and even to retailers.
Why people might think there is a shortage " and a subsequent increase in retail prices " is due to a chain of events that has occurred over the past six months.
Following the last of four hurricanes that ravaged Florida during August and September, the tomato industry, like other commodities in the state, said that crops already in the ground suffered storm damage. Indeed, some commodities, such as grapefruit from the Indian River area, did suffer substantial damage; the 2004-05 grapefruit crop is the smallest the industry has produced in decades.
For the tomato crop, however, the damage was in the crop being pushed back a short period of time and not a shortage for the overall season.
?About 1.5 billion pounds of tomatoes are shipped from Florida throughout the U.S. and to Canada and Japan each year," said Samantha Winters, director of education and promotion for the Florida Tomato Committee in Maitland, FL. "From October through June, Florida?s production accounts for about 50 percent of all domestic tomatoes. We are the largest tomato-producing state in the country."
Ms. Winters explained that this season was set back by a couple of weeks because of the storms, but growers were soon back on track with full crops.
?The weather following the storms has been wonderful in our growing regions," she said. "We reached normal production in November, and have had consistent volumes since then. The tomatoes are the most beautiful and best quality possible."
Despite the prime crop and abundance, however, the industry continued to suffer the aftereffects of the storms. Due to supply and demand, the cost of tomatoes increased immediately following the storms when supplies were very low. Retailers across the country were justifiably forced to increase prices. Foodservice operators, including some major chain restaurants, set a policy that forced customers to specifically request a slice of tomato on their sandwiches.
But once supplies got back to normal, things at many retail and restaurant fronts did not change. High prices held firm, and the "shortage? rumor continued to spread throughout the country. Wholesale prices that normally run in the range of $9 per box had jumped to $40. In a few cases, prices reached as high as $60 a box.
At the same time, a growing glut in Florida forced growers to drop their prices to all-time lows, and the domino effect continued. Some growers said that the cost to harvest was higher than what they could make, and so several stopped picking. By January, tomatoes were rotting in fields across the state.
In attempts to at least make use of the otherwise rotting vegetables, trade groups and growers pooled their energies and had truckloads of tomatoes delivered to food banks around the country " and at their own expense.
Ray Gilmer, public affairs director for the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, said that for the most part, consumers initially paid higher prices with little resistance.
?They understood the weather issues, and in some cases they paid double what they were used to. But as supplies began returning to normal around Thanksgiving, we weren?t seeing a response at retail. Ultimately, the item was pushed away by many consumers. We believe they made alternative purchasing decisions."
In mid-January, in an attempt to set things back on track, the Florida industry rallied together. Bulletins and press releases began pouring out of Commissioner Charles H. Bronson?s office at FDACS, stressing the abundance of the high-quality tomato crop. The Florida Tomato Committee quickly arranged a national consumer advertising campaign to run in periodic issues of USA Today, with plans to continue the campaign through Feb. 11.
?Commissioner Bronson and a delegation that included people from FFVA, the Florida Tomato Commission, the media and others traveled to Homestead on January 18, to investigate tomato fields firsthand," said Terence McElroy, press secretary for the FDACS. "The department also ran a full-page ad in the Miami Herald during that week that included a bold headline reading "There is no shortage of Florida tomatoes." "
The department is taking yet another aggressive step, having organized its marketing division of approximately a dozen staff members to conduct a telephone crusade. The group is calling brokers, wholesalers, distributors, foodservice operators, restaurants, retailers and others across the country to try to trigger tomato sales.
?Retailers are also rallying with aid," Mr. Gilmer added. "Within one day of Commissioner Bronson?s visit to Homestead, tomato prices in some Florida stores dropped from $2.99 a pound to 99 cents."
Publix, Albertson?s, Winn Dixie and other major southeastern chains are supporting this drive, and Mr. McElroy said that these retailers are hopefully setting the standard for the rest of the nation to follow.
Mr. Gilmer said that another concern is that Mexico is beginning to ramp up its shipments of tomatoes, and that always affects Florida?s movement.
?We have to get Florida?s tomatoes moving through the produce chain " and quickly," he said. "The commissioner and his staff, the Florida Tomato Committee, the FFVA, growers and everyone else involved in this industry are going to keep at this movement as long as it takes to set things right. We are extremely grateful to Commissioner Bronson and his team for jumping to the front of this issue. They have the media-buying power that makes these ads possible and the strength to help the industry in difficult times such as this one."
The effort includes participation from virtually every segment of the tomato industry " from suppliers to trade associations to the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services and even to retailers.
Why people might think there is a shortage " and a subsequent increase in retail prices " is due to a chain of events that has occurred over the past six months.
Following the last of four hurricanes that ravaged Florida during August and September, the tomato industry, like other commodities in the state, said that crops already in the ground suffered storm damage. Indeed, some commodities, such as grapefruit from the Indian River area, did suffer substantial damage; the 2004-05 grapefruit crop is the smallest the industry has produced in decades.
For the tomato crop, however, the damage was in the crop being pushed back a short period of time and not a shortage for the overall season.
?About 1.5 billion pounds of tomatoes are shipped from Florida throughout the U.S. and to Canada and Japan each year," said Samantha Winters, director of education and promotion for the Florida Tomato Committee in Maitland, FL. "From October through June, Florida?s production accounts for about 50 percent of all domestic tomatoes. We are the largest tomato-producing state in the country."
Ms. Winters explained that this season was set back by a couple of weeks because of the storms, but growers were soon back on track with full crops.
?The weather following the storms has been wonderful in our growing regions," she said. "We reached normal production in November, and have had consistent volumes since then. The tomatoes are the most beautiful and best quality possible."
Despite the prime crop and abundance, however, the industry continued to suffer the aftereffects of the storms. Due to supply and demand, the cost of tomatoes increased immediately following the storms when supplies were very low. Retailers across the country were justifiably forced to increase prices. Foodservice operators, including some major chain restaurants, set a policy that forced customers to specifically request a slice of tomato on their sandwiches.
But once supplies got back to normal, things at many retail and restaurant fronts did not change. High prices held firm, and the "shortage? rumor continued to spread throughout the country. Wholesale prices that normally run in the range of $9 per box had jumped to $40. In a few cases, prices reached as high as $60 a box.
At the same time, a growing glut in Florida forced growers to drop their prices to all-time lows, and the domino effect continued. Some growers said that the cost to harvest was higher than what they could make, and so several stopped picking. By January, tomatoes were rotting in fields across the state.
In attempts to at least make use of the otherwise rotting vegetables, trade groups and growers pooled their energies and had truckloads of tomatoes delivered to food banks around the country " and at their own expense.
Ray Gilmer, public affairs director for the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, said that for the most part, consumers initially paid higher prices with little resistance.
?They understood the weather issues, and in some cases they paid double what they were used to. But as supplies began returning to normal around Thanksgiving, we weren?t seeing a response at retail. Ultimately, the item was pushed away by many consumers. We believe they made alternative purchasing decisions."
In mid-January, in an attempt to set things back on track, the Florida industry rallied together. Bulletins and press releases began pouring out of Commissioner Charles H. Bronson?s office at FDACS, stressing the abundance of the high-quality tomato crop. The Florida Tomato Committee quickly arranged a national consumer advertising campaign to run in periodic issues of USA Today, with plans to continue the campaign through Feb. 11.
?Commissioner Bronson and a delegation that included people from FFVA, the Florida Tomato Commission, the media and others traveled to Homestead on January 18, to investigate tomato fields firsthand," said Terence McElroy, press secretary for the FDACS. "The department also ran a full-page ad in the Miami Herald during that week that included a bold headline reading "There is no shortage of Florida tomatoes." "
The department is taking yet another aggressive step, having organized its marketing division of approximately a dozen staff members to conduct a telephone crusade. The group is calling brokers, wholesalers, distributors, foodservice operators, restaurants, retailers and others across the country to try to trigger tomato sales.
?Retailers are also rallying with aid," Mr. Gilmer added. "Within one day of Commissioner Bronson?s visit to Homestead, tomato prices in some Florida stores dropped from $2.99 a pound to 99 cents."
Publix, Albertson?s, Winn Dixie and other major southeastern chains are supporting this drive, and Mr. McElroy said that these retailers are hopefully setting the standard for the rest of the nation to follow.
Mr. Gilmer said that another concern is that Mexico is beginning to ramp up its shipments of tomatoes, and that always affects Florida?s movement.
?We have to get Florida?s tomatoes moving through the produce chain " and quickly," he said. "The commissioner and his staff, the Florida Tomato Committee, the FFVA, growers and everyone else involved in this industry are going to keep at this movement as long as it takes to set things right. We are extremely grateful to Commissioner Bronson and his team for jumping to the front of this issue. They have the media-buying power that makes these ads possible and the strength to help the industry in difficult times such as this one."
