PLUs
93061 beefsteak
94063 small, 6x6 size and smaller
94064 large, 5x6 size and larger
94796 cherry, red
94797 cherry, yellow
93146 cherry, on the vine
93147 cherry, yellow, on the vine
93150 cocktail/intermediate, red
93335 cocktail/intermediate, red, on the vine
93336 cocktail/intermediate, plum/Italian/saladette/roma, on the vine
94798 greenhouse/hydroponic, small
94799 greenhouse/hyrdoponic, large
94087 plum/Italian/saladette/roma, red
93145 plum/Italian/saladette/roma, yellow
93282 plum/Italian/saladette/roma, on the vine
94805 vine-ripe, small (6x6 and smaller)
93151 vine-ripe, large (5x6 and larger)
94778 yellow
93148 yellow, on the vine
94664 on the vine
94803 teardrop/pear
94804 teardrop/pear, yellow
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.
Sales Strategies
Organic tomatoes offer plenty of opportunity for consumers to try them out. A staple in most households, tomatoes lend themselves to a variety of promotions. Include organic tomatoes in football game-day promotions, Cinco de Mayo sales and during the summer months as a quick, healthy addition to a BLT sandwich.
Organic tomatoes carry a higher price point than conventional product, so be sure to tell consumers why they cost extra. Include signs that explain the extra handling and labor that go into selling organically grown tomatoes. Consider sourcing some locally grown product during the summer and having the grower come in and talk to consumers about organic growing practices.
Dynamic Displays
Offer consumers a variety of organic options in your display. Include beefsteak, roma, grape and cherry varieties. Heirloom tomatoes are popular with organic consumers, so consider adding some locally grown heirloom varieties when they are in season.
Consider creating a display of organic salad vegetables with tomatoes as a colorful centerpiece. Pair organic tomatoes with organic avocados and lemons for a great color contrast and to encourage consumers to make homemade guacamole.
Like conventional tomatoes, display organic tomatoes on an unrefrigerated table. Don’t dump or stack tomatoes on the display as they can bruise from the added weight.
In the Backroom
Shipping
Organic tomatoes are available in 6x6 two-layer trays and 6x6 and 7x7 three-layer trays. Organic cherry tomatoes are available in 12, 1-pint clamshells. On-the-vine tomatoes are often available in 11-pound and 15-pound cartons. Hot house tomatoes are often available in 15- and 20-pound cartons.
Grades
Fresh tomatoes
U.S. No. 1
U.S. combination
U.S. No. 2
U.S. No. 3
Greenhouse
U.S. No. 1
U.S. No. 2
Handling
- Temperature: mature-green or pink, 62 to 68 F, 16.7 to 20 C
- Relative humidity: 85-88%
- Mist: no
- Typical shelf life: mature-green 21 to 28 days; pink, 7 to 14 days
- Do not refrigerate
- Highly sensitive to freezing injury. (Likely to suffer injury by one light freezing.)
- Susceptible to chilling injury (Damage sometimes is not apparent until produce is returned to a higher temperature. At temperatures below 55 F, 13 C, tomatoes are subject to chill injury and lose flavor quickly.)
- Never stack more than two layers high, and keep product stem up to protect tomato shoulders.
- Because most tomatoes are picked mature but not totally ripe, they will continue ripening in transit. Tomatoes produce ethylene, a hormone that stimulates ripening. If tomatoes have not reached the appropriate color by the time they reach the local distribution center, their ripening process will be speeded up.
- Ethylene treatment applied at shipping point starts the ripening process and assures more uniformly ripe fruit upon arrival at the destination point and shortens the period between harvest and display, therefore maintaining a higher degree of vitamin C.
- When stacking containers in the back room, make sure to stack organic items at the top so residue from conventional produce doesn’t drip down onto the organic items.
- Organic items can be stored side by side in the cooler as long as no product is touching and no residue can drip from the conventional onto the organic product.
Organic
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