EU tomato consumption stagnant but value has soared

EU consumption of fresh tomatoes is set to remain stable or slightly decrease, with a steady net importing situation, according to the European Commission’s EU Agricultural Outlook.

But the market for fresh tomatoes is marked by strong segmentation into a large number of types of tomatoes with higher value added (in particular different miniature types, cherry and cocktail tomatoes), the report says.

And the “stagnating production trend in quantity coincides therefore with an increasing trend in value.”

According to Euromonitor data on retail sales, the volume of tomatoes sold by retailers in France, Germany, Italy and Spain rose 1% from 2006 to 2015 but by 18% in value.