In cooler parts of the UK and Ireland (that’s most of Ireland ) tomatoes are better grown undercover in a polytunnel or greenhouse. In poor Summers outdoor tomatoes can fail to ripen (especially larger varieties) or fail altogether. Tomatoes require a very fertile soil.
Yet another inquiry we ran across in our research was “Why do Tomatoes need so much energy to grow in Britain?”.
One answer is the energy needed to heat the glass houses for growing tomatoes in Britain is significantly more than the energy used in transporting tomatoes from Spain where no heating is used because of the warmer climate. This is why the ETA says tax (or trade) CO 2 production and the best solution will win. How far has my food travelled?
Why are tomatoes so good for transport?
1) Thick skin – varieties that are meant to be transported have been bred to have thick skins and resist bruising. 2) Uniform shape – plant breeders have developed tomato varieties that have a uniform shape and are therefore able to pack well together leading to lower levels of fruit damage.
But when tomatoes are being transported that way, there are usually going to a processing plant to be stewed and canned, made into tomato catsup or paste. So it doesn’t matter.
How much do Brits spend on Tomatoes?
British growers are committed to producing more tomatoes in the UK to meet homegrown demand and cut the need for food miles where the environment, quality and taste suffers. In total, Brits spend £921M on tomatoes annually. Of this, around £190M is on British grown tomatoes.
What is the best way to ship Tomatoes?
Tomatoes are packaged in open and closed fruit crates (tomato crates), tubs, cartons, trays and jointed boxes. Sometimes they are carefully arranged, sometimes randomly bulk-packed. Broken, damaged and damp packages must be rejected.