kai2k1 0 #1 December 6, 2004 For the past 2 weeks when I have gone to the grocery stroe, there's been a very limited amount of tomatoes. Now I know why. I just want my tomatoes back.... http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,136370,00.html Post-Hurricane Tomato Shortage Hurting Restaurant Industry Monday, October 25, 2004 LOS ANGELES — Restaurants all over the country are scrambling to find menu alternatives to dishes requiring tomatoes as severe weather in Florida and California have hampered crops and caused prices to more than double. Restaurant chains like Wendy's International Inc. (WEN) and Olive Garden parent Darden Restaurants Inc. (DRI), which need large quantities of tomatoes to supply their outlets, are among those making changes to combat the shortage. Wendy's canceled plans to advertise its Chicken Temptations (search) sandwiches, which are each topped with a slice of tomato. The Dublin, Ohio-based chain said the last-minute switch to promote its Kids Meal and Homestyle Chicken Strips would contribute to a profit shortfall this quarter. Darden, which also owns the Red Lobster (search) chain, is modifying recipes and using alternative varieties and sizes of tomatoes until supplies return to normal, spokesman Mike Bernstein said. McDonald's Corp.'s (MCD) Mexican-style Chipotle chain is also considering alternative such as salsa recipes that are less dependent on tomatoes, spokesman Chris Arnold said. The chain, which has not made any decisions yet, could also implement what Arnold called "rolling blackouts," where certain markets may not have tomato salsa one day a week. There's no truer sense of flying than sky diving," Scott Cowan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #2 December 6, 2004 I went to Wendy's last week and they had a sign on the counter stating no tomato on sammich unless you ask for one due to shortage and then it continues to explain why. This is going to be a record year for Texas farmers. There are orange, grapefruit, tomato and other produce that got hurt from the bad weather in FL and CA this year that is grown in TX. I'm sorry for everyone else, but I'm happy about my own countrymen and their farming. Its nice to see something good happen for the Texas farmers for once.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HeatherB 0 #3 December 6, 2004 They're going for $4.99 a pound down here. Sheesh. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DJL 235 #4 December 6, 2004 Wait, they still say "vine ripened" at the store..."I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smiles 0 #5 December 6, 2004 Our greenhouses here in the Fraser Valley (B.C. Canada) grow tomatoes(world leader premium tomatoes)... http://www.bchothouse.com/ The main greenhouse vegetable crops in BC are tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, long English cucumbers and butterhead lettuce. Crops grown in a greenhouse can yield up to ten times as much as crops grown in the field. SMiles Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snowbird 0 #6 December 6, 2004 QuoteOur greenhouses here in the Fraser Valley grow tomatoes They do, but right now you won't find them much either. When the days get shorter, the plants don't get enough light to ripen properly. They stay green for much longer, and when they do ripen they have a very short, soft shelf life. All of the greenhouses in the Interior are done for the season, adding to the shortage. Growers decide on their season end date 2 months in advance, and once they top the plants it doesn't matter how good the market it, the plants stop growing and the crop is done. Also, older plants produce less, and by this time of year the tomato plants are OLD. That said, the growers are wishing they'd foreseen this market, or they'd have coaxed the plants along somehow. I can't believe the prices right now! They're the highest I've seen in the three years I've worked in the produce industry. Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest #7 December 6, 2004 That's not all they grow indoors in BC... mh . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alanab 0 #8 December 6, 2004 well that must explain why the tomatoe wedges and cherry tomatoes at my works salad bar taste like shit or are not available recently. i havent even tried them in a few days cause they were so disgusting last week. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumpinfarmer 0 #9 December 7, 2004 Ones misfortune, makes someone elses fortune. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ltdiver 3 #10 December 7, 2004 I had wonderful tomatoes growing in my garden up until 2 weeks ago when this happened!! ltdiver Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhillyKev 0 #11 December 7, 2004 I had one of the best tomatoes in my life last week in Toronto. Went to a little corner produce stand and they had huge, beefy tomatoes with tons of flavor, and carrots the size of zuchinis. I think it's all a plot be the Canadians to infiltrate the US produce market. I blame Canada. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #12 December 7, 2004 QuoteWhere have all the Tomatoes gone? Gone to young girls, every one. When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn? Where have all the young girls gone? Gone to young men, every one... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
