Yellow Cherry Tomatoes on the Vine

Commodity Overview

Tomato sales continue to rise with sales in 2020 topping $4 billion, a nearly 20% increase over 2019. Provide plenty of variety options for shoppers to encourage them to take home more than one type of tomato, which will boost your bottom line.

Characteristics

Commodity: Tomatoes
Category: Salad Vegetables
Appearance: Small, round, yellow fruit
Flesh: Juicy flesh with small seeds
Flavor: Classic tomato flavor
Size: An average cherry tomato weighs about 15 grams
Color: Yellow
Shape: Round
Served Raw: Yes
Seed: Small, white
Availability: Year-round

Retail Price Data is based on USDA Specialty Crops Market News surveys. Data collection ends on the report date and encompasses ad pricing good from the Saturday before the report release date through the following Friday. Weekly data - from over 400 retailers, comprising more than 30,000 individual stores with online weekly advertised features - covers over 250 produce items. Registered (logged-in) users, can access weekly reports and additional market information.

USDA Specialty Crops Market News publishes FOB and Movement data on a daily and weekly basis. Pricing and volume information is aggregated by commodity and published weekly, subject to any source-data adjustments. Commodity data is further processed based on origin (domestic vs imports) and type (regular vs. organic). Registered (logged-in) users, can access weekly reports and additional market information.

Facts

Tomatoes can help improve your health. Diets containing tomatoes have been shown to improve heart health. Tomatoes contain vitamin C, which can improve the immune system’s ability to fight disease. Tomatoes also contain lycopene, which has been shown to fight cancer. Lycopene is found in higher concentrations in cooked tomatoes. Studies show the lycopene in tomatoes may help maintain healthy bones.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the following nutrient content descriptors for tomatoes: low-fat, saturated fat-free, sodium-free (must state that tomatoes contain less than 5 mg sodium per 85 g tomato), cholesterol-free, low in calories, a good source of vitamin A and high in vitamin C.

Dynamic Displays

Offer variety in your tomato display. Include beefsteak, roma, grape, cherry and on-the-vine options for consumers.
Don’t refrigerate tomatoes and make sure consumers know tomatoes are better when stored at room temperature.
Avoid stacking tomatoes to keep the bottom layer from getting crushed.
If you stock stem-on tomatoes, be sure they all face the same way to avoid puncturing them with the stems. Leaving the stems on retains the farm-fresh smell of tomatoes.
Give tomatoes plenty of room and keep the display well-stocked. Consumers will be looking for tomatoes, so make them easy to find.
Place tomatoes next to avocados as the color contrast creates an eye-catching display.

Food Service

Peeling tomatoes can be difficult. Make it easier by boiling them for 30 seconds. Let them cool, then peel.
To easily remove the seeds from a tomato, cut it in half crosswise, then gently squeeze the tomato in the palm of your hand.
Offer tomatoes in salads and on salad bars.
Chopped tomatoes are a tasty addition to omelets.
Use tomatoes as a base for salsa and marinara sauce.
Slice tomatoes and use them to top sandwiches and burgers.