Ripe for a price increase
Typically a standard garnish for hamburgers, sandwiches and salads, tomatoes have become a scarce luxury.
Three out of five round, field-grown tomatoes come from Florida during the winter, but an unexpected and prolonged cold spell that froze Florida’s crops in mid-January wiped out most of the state’s tomato crop.
With fewer of the vine-ripened vegetables available, fast food chains and grocery stores have been scrambling to get a hold of what they can for a much steeper price.
Restaurant chain Wendy’s, for one, began warning customers about a week ago that if they didn’t request a tomato slice, they wouldn’t get one.
The cost of tomatoes has been “substantial,” said Denny Lynch, Wendy’s spokesman, refusing to say how much exactly. The biggest issue has been sheer supply, since getting any tomatoes at any cost has been a challenge, he said.
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