Fresh Produce Association Of The Americas Debuts New Webinar Series On Fresh Imported Tomatoes From Mexico
NOGALES, AZ - To navigate any unknown space, all you really need is a map. Providing leaders across the industry with just that, the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas (FPAA) hosted a webinar series for Tomato Week 2021 packed with the latest data and market trends to help brands navigate the fresh tomato category.
“One of the key findings of the COVID study is that foodservice tomato sales, especially round, mature green tomatoes, have not recovered their market share, due to consumer preference for vine-ripened round tomatoes at retail,” said President Lance Jungmeyer. “COVID has changed many patterns, including where tomatoes are consumed, and by extension, which kinds of growers are able to prosper. This has lasting and positive connotations for vine-ripened tomatoes produced in protected environments.”
The series took place on March 9–11, according to a company release, and kicked off with Rick Stein from FMI, The Food Industry Association, sharing the most recent data for fresh tomatoes in supermarkets, as well as predictions for the industry moving forward.
Stein also shined a light on the significant growth of e-commerce markets, and how that has impacted fresh imported tomatoes.
On the following day, Dari Duval from the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Arizona led a presentation surrounding the impact of Mexican tomatoes on the U.S. economy. The data collected reflected many economic contributions supported by the import of the fresh fruit, including 33,000 new jobs in the U.S. and $2.9 billion in GDP.
Finishing off the webinar series, the University of Arizona’s Daniel Schietrum gave a presentation on the recently published Impact of COVID-19 on U.S. Fresh Tomato Markets storymap.
Throughout the presentation, Schietrum focused on how the fresh tomato industry was impacted by the lockdowns and market changes that occurred over the past year.
For those interested, a recap of each of the resourceful webinars will be available on the FPAA’s website.
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