Ever wonder how canned tomatoes get from the field to your plate? Here’s a step by step guide to how the farm to table process works.
Tomatoes are a staple ingredient in many of the World’s favorite dishes like Pizza, Ketchup, Pasta Sauce and Salsa, and are an important part of the global food industry. The process of getting tomato products from the farm to the restaurant involves several steps, each of which plays a critical role in ensuring the quality and deliciousness of the final product. In this article, we will explore the step-by-step farm to table process of how a tomato product gets from the fields to your plate.
Step 1: Growing and Harvesting
The first step in the process of getting tomato products from the farm to the restaurant is growing and harvesting the tomatoes. Tomato plants require warm temperatures and ample sunlight to grow, and they are typically planted in the spring and harvested in the summer and fall. Once the tomatoes are ripe, they are carefully picked by hand or by machine.
Step 2: Transporting to Processing Plant
After the tomatoes are harvested, they are transported to a processing plant. This is typically done using large trucks, which are specially designed to transport perishable goods like fresh tomatoes. During transportation, the tomatoes must be kept at the appropriate temperature to ensure their freshness and quality.
Step 3: Sorting and Washing
Once the tomatoes arrive at the processing plant, they are sorted and washed. The sorting process involves separating the tomatoes by size and color, and removing any damaged or diseased tomatoes. The tomatoes are then washed using a combination of water and chemical disinfectants to remove any dirt or bacteria
Step 4: Blanching and Peeling
After the tomatoes are sorted and washed, they are blanched and peeled. Blanching involves briefly exposing the tomatoes to hot water or steam, which helps to loosen the skins. The tomatoes are then run through a machine that removes the skins, leaving behind the tender flesh.
Step 5: Processing and Packaging
Once the tomatoes are peeled, they are minimally processed into the desired tomato product, such as tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, or tomato paste. The processing involves cooking the tomatoes to create the desired flavor and consistency. This step is also what preserves the tomato products and what releases the lycopene! The final product is then packaged in cans, jars, or other containers, which are sealed to ensure the product’s safety and freshness.
Step 6: Distribution
After the tomato products are packaged, they are ready for distribution. This involves transporting the products to warehouses, where they are then delivered to retailers, and foodservice establishments.
Step 7: Delivery to Restaurants
Finally, the tomato products are delivered to restaurants and other foodservice establishments, where they are used in a wide range of dishes, from soups and stews to pasta sauces and pizzas. Restaurants typically order tomato products in large quantities, which are stored in their kitchens until they are ready to be used.
Summary
The process of getting tomato products from the farm to your favorite restaurants and your home involves several critical steps. Each step plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality and safety of the final product, and the end result is a delicious and versatile ingredient that is a staple in kitchens around the world.
Learn more about why buying USA-grown tomatoes is important for the local economy:
Marinara sauce and white sauce are both popular pasta sauces, but they differ in their ingredients and nutritional value. The former is made primarily from tomatoes, garlic, and herbs, while white sauce, also known as Alfredo sauce, is made from butter, cream, and cheese. In this article, we will explore the benefits of marinara sauce and why it is a better choice than white sauce.
Benefits of marinara sauce
Healthier nutritional profile
This is a healthier choice than white sauce because it is lower in calories, fat, and sodium. One cup of marinara sauce contains only about 70 calories, while the same amount of white sauce can contain up to 500 calories or more. The former is also a good source of vitamin C and lycopene, which is an antioxidant that may help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.
Versatility
Marinara sauce is a versatile ingredient that can be used in a variety of dishes, from pasta and pizza to meatballs and stews. Its tangy flavor pairs well with a wide range of ingredients, making it a go-to sauce for many cooks. White sauce, on the other hand, is limited in its versatility and is typically used only in pasta dishes.
Lower in Fat and Cholesterol
This option is lower in fat and cholesterol than white sauce, making it a healthier choice for those who are watching their weight or cholesterol levels. Marinara sauce contains only a small amount of fat, while white sauce is high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Consuming too much saturated fat and cholesterol can increase the risk of heart disease and other health problems.
Easy to Make at Home
Marinara sauce is easy to make at home with just a few simple ingredients, such as tomatoes, garlic, and herbs. Homemade marinara sauce is also free of preservatives and additives, making it a healthier choice than store-bought sauces. White sauce, on the other hand, can be more difficult to make at home and often requires specialty ingredients like heavy cream and Parmesan cheese.
Cost-effective
This red sauce is often more cost-effective, as the ingredients required to make it are typically less expensive. This makes it an ideal choice for families or individuals on a budget. White sauce, on the other hand, can be more expensive due to the cost of ingredients like cream and cheese.
Summary
Marinara sauce is a better choice than white sauce due to its healthier nutritional profile, versatility, lower fat and cholesterol content, ease of preparation, and cost-effectiveness. Incorporating marinara sauce into your cooking can be a simple and delicious way to improve your overall health and well-being.
Check out some of our favorite recipes for cooking inspiration:
When you shop local, you support the local community, reduce your carbon footprint, and get higher-quality products. From transportation woes to budgetary advantages, here’s why USA tomato products reign supreme.
Did you know you vote with your food dollars? Every time you visit a grocery store or order food at a restaurant, you have the opportunity to voice which products and companies you want to support. From organic offerings to budget-friendly prices, your purchases speak for themselves and will ultimately help determine if the quality of products will improve or not.
This doesn’t just stop here–it also extends to the product’s country of origin. Where your food comes from has a major impact on the quality of food, the local economy, and farmers who grow it. When you shop local, you can positively impact the environment and even your wallet.
Here’s why you should consider prioritizing USA grown tomato-based products, and how your purchases can make a difference.
show their support for companies who are doing the right thing
healthier products
Sustainable food doesn’t just come from packaging–it also stems from transportation costs and where the product was originally grown.
For instance, tomatoes grown overseas have to be transported to America, which incurs overseas transport, more fossil fuel usage, and ultimately a larger carbon footprint. Compare that to tomato products grown in the USA: you get to save on transportation costs, lower your carbon footprint, and still get the same quality compared to those grown anywhere in the world. It’s a win-win situation! Plus, you know food safety, worker safety and regulations in the USA are very different from other countries that are not taking care of their land or their workers. You can dig deeper into this here.
Don’t fall prey to marketing hypes
Have you heard someone say that they need to pay more for Italian tomatoes because they are more exotic? Don’t fall prey to this train of thought! USA grown tomatoes are just as high of quality as those from Italy, and may even be better, especially considering that the economical and environmental benefits are much higher.
Fun fact: Did you know that USA grown tomatoes have won numerous blind taste tests against those from Italy? Check out this video to see how tomatoes from America stack up against Italian ones!
How can you shop local?
You can shop local by supporting those who grow your food. After all, the best way to thank a farmer is to buy from them! They work incredibly hard every day to bring you the highest quality canned tomato products. Plus, farmers give their best effort to preserve the soil and keep their manufacturing as climate friendly as possible.
When you make your choice at the grocery store, you essentially decide who you will support: Either American farms and the communities they support, or foreign countries where you don’t know about their oversight, food safety, worker and health regulations, and often an inferior product.
Keeping it local is the way to go. Supporting our USA farmers has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint associated with transporting the product into the United States. This may seem small but the more times we make the choice to keep our purchases local, the better the effects will be on the environment down the road. By doing this, you will also be pouring back into your community and supporting local initiatives to reduce waste and protect the environment. So the next time you are craving a dish that requires canned tomatoes, shop local!
Check out these other articles on why USA-grown tomatoes reign supreme:
Get the scoop on Tomato Wellness member, Ingomar Packing Company. We are proud to have this company as part of the Tomato Wellness Family and read to the end to see how in one of the worst droughts California has ever seen, they have figured out how to grow their own water!
Ingomar Packing Company is known as a premium supplier of industrial tomato products. Operating out of Los Banos, CA, they now have two processing facilities to ensure the consistency in producing high quality tomato products. Their tomato products include tomato paced and diced tomatoes which are world-renowned for their premium quality and taste.
What makes this organization so special is their continued support for their local community, their close attention to customer needs and their emphasis on environmental sustainability. Their business model highly relies on the local relationships they have with tomato growers. This relationship allows for community support and direct communication concerning the farm to processing procedure.
Each customized process guarantees that people receive their desired level of consistency and quality of diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Throughout the process, field, production, and QA teams ensure the utmost color, flavor, and texture of the tomatoes, which make them a perfect ingredient base in a wide array of products.
The attention to detail can also be traced back to the equipment that is used for processing, as the needs of the customer are taken into consideration when packing every order. In 2010, Ingomar Packing Company established an initiative to cut back on waste products and pollutants to protect the environment and continue to stay mindful of their environmental impact. They installed solar panels and have a system to minimize overall water waste.
And maybe most exciting of all, they have partnerd with an Australian company to extract the water from the tomatoes to be purified, repurposed and made available as drinking water! In a time where we are all facing historic drought condifitions, this is a monumental breakthrough. Watch this video to learn more!
We absolutely adore Ingomar Packing Company and their passion for their community and their products. Try one of their tomato products in some of our favorite recipes!
Canned tomatoes can be a great benefit to men’s health. Go red for Movember and learn more about the power of tomatoes in our battle against prostate cancer.
It’s Movember – which means during the month of November, we are bringing awareness to men’s health. According to the Movember website, approximately 10.8 million men across the globe have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. That does not even include other health implications like testitular cancer and men’s suicide.
While cancer can develop as a result of age or family genetics, there are also other potential factors that can be avoided or reduced. Some of the most studied risk factors for cancer are age related risk, alcohol, chronic inflammation, tobacco use, obesity, diet and cancer causing substances.The National Cancer Institute suggests that limiting your exposure to some of these lifestyle behaviors and maintaining a healthy weight can help to lower your risk of developing certain cancers. Diet can be incredibly impactful and a focus on choosing foods rich in antioxidants and vegetables has been associated with reducing cancer risk [1]. In fact, tomatoes, especially canned tomatoes, are a very popular source of antioxidants rich with beta-carotene and lycopene [2].
Tomatoes have a powerful team.
Tomatoes have an incredible team of nutrients to provide our bodies with cancer fighting benefits. They are full of antioxidants which are known for their ability to neutralize free-radicals. It is possible for the body to create some antioxidants, but for the most part you have to get your antioxidants from food sources [1].
The antioxidants that are present in tomatoes are lycopene, beta-carotene and vitamin C [4]. This team of nutrients is what leads scientists to believe that tomatoes can be impactful in the fight against cancer.
Fun fact: the red color of tomatoes is due to its lycopene content.
Canned tomato products like pizza sauce, ketchup, tomato paste, and tomato soup possess a more bioavailable form of lycopene due to the processing of these products [3]. This means that our bodies are better able to absorb these nutrients. While more studies are needed, lycopene has been associated with up to a 40% reduction of risk of aggressive prostate cancer [3]. Interestingly, one study showed that eating 2-4 servings of tomato sauce per week reduced the risk of prostate cancer by one-third [3].
Creative ways to go red for Movember
If you’re looking to add more canned tomatoes into your meal routine, we have you covered! Here are some of our favorite ways to use this produce item.
National Cancer Institute – Risks for Cancer, November 9, 2022 from https://www.cancer.gov
National Cancer Institute – Antioxidants and Cancer Prevention, November 9, 2022 from https://www.cancer.gov
A Review of Epidemiologic Studies of Tomatoes, Lycopene, and Prostate Cancer. Experimental Biology and Medicine, November 9, 2022 from doi:10.1177/15353702022270100
Healthline – Tomatoes, November 10, 2022 from https://www.healthline.com
Step 2: Transporting to Processing Plant
Step 4: Blanching and Peeling
Step 6: Distribution
Step 7: Delivery to Restaurants
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