European tomato market: less for more money

During the last decade, the Dutch tomato had an excellent chance on the German market. That became clear during last Friday’s Tomato Forum in Düsseldorf, Germany. Dutch exporters managed to both improve absolute export and export value to Germany, in part thanks to innovations in the sector. Once again, the sector is facing considerable challenges. Making the packaging sustainable is one of those challenges.

Last Friday, the first European Tomato Forum was organised in Düsseldorf. More than 150 tomato experts from all over Europe travelled to the city to discuss the developments and challenges in the sector. Important themes in the sector are, among other things, the rise of the snack tomato. While consumers in the Netherlands, for example, are buying fewer tomatoes, the amount they spend has increased. The snack tomato is responsible for that, according to figures from Sonja Illert (AMI) and Helmut Hübsch (GFK Panel Services). This trend mostly applies to Northern European countries. 

However, the snack tomato sector is also facing challenges. On Friday, one of the most important topics was finding an alternative for the shakers and buckets in which they are now sold. Especially now that more and more consumers recycle plastic and attention paid to waste increases, this packaging is no longer fitting its image, according to several speakers. Greenco has also noticed that, said Marc van Arendonk. “We are looking for other options. We haven’t found them yet, and they won’t suddenly appear tomorrow either. People want to see the product.” Despite all this, the company introduced a bucket of as much as one kilogram of snack tomatoes. Demand for that also appears to be good.

During the Tomato Forum, it became clear that Northern European producers want to make a difference in quality during the winter months. Both Filip Fontaine from BelOrta and Gert van Straalen from Red Star Trading UK emphasise that the winter production can’t be compared to mediterranean supply.

During the coming days, more articles about the presentations during the Tomato Forum will follow, but we will start with the photo report.