Tomato supply playing catch-up with demand

~ One official said production is a little low but it's not anything unusual for January.

Don't ask Wendy's to hold the tomatoes. It will be done for you.

Tomato lovers need to make a special request for their favorite item on their hamburgers at the chain's restaurants, and they may not find tomatoes in some local salad bars.

According to Florida Tomato Committee spokeswoman Samantha Winters, tomato production is currently a little low but it's not anything unusual for this time of year.

But a sign on the Jackson and Cape Girardeau Wendy's restaurant drive-through reads "the hurricanes in Florida and other areas have had a serious impact on the quality and availability of tomatoes. Therefore, for a short time, we will offer them by request only."

Bob Bertini, a Wendy's spokesman, said the tomato shortage will last for about two weeks.

"The tomato supply chain we use is experiencing a shortage in the largest-size tomatoes, which are the ones we use on our sandwiches," he said. "It shouldn't be a concern to customers since tomatoes are still available -- they just have to ask for them."

Winters said tomato production is down partly because of the hurricanes.

"There isn't a huge tomato shortage," she said. "Production of Florida tomatoes is a little later than usual, but the quality has been outstanding."

Cauble & Field Fruits Vegetables & Groceries, 421 Main St., is a wholesale grocery supplier, and manager Rick Haggedorn said tomatoes are more expensive this year than in the past. Currently a 20-pound box of tomatoes is $35 to $40. Prices can be as low as $8 to $10 a box, Haggedorn said.

"Some of our customers have been backing off purchasing them if they have salad bars," he said. "Until we get more production, they will probably stay a little high."

At Pizza Inn, 3333 Gordonville Road, manager Michael Hayes said tomatoes won't be available on the restaurant's salad bar unless prices go down. The restaurant's pizza sauce and roma tomatoes for toppings come from areas unaffected by the hurricanes, so neither is affected by the price changes.

Local grocery produce managers said there isn't a shortage of tomatoes but agree prices are steep.

"I could get you all the tomatoes in the world, you're just going to have to pay a little more," said Terri Callis, Food Giant produce manager. Tomatoes are running from $2.29 to $3.99 per pound at grocery stores in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. In summer, tomatoes are as low as 99 cents per pound.

Winters said tomatoes will drop in price within the next few weeks.

"It's not a long-term phenom by any means," Winters said. "It's very temporary, and we don't want people to get all excited thinking there is a huge tomato shortage."

jfreeze@semissourian.com