Introduction

The tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is an herbaceous perennial plant in the Solanaceae family that is almost universally cultivated as an annual crop. Botanically classified as a berry, the tomato can grow up to 2 meters tall and can be harvested 70 to 140 days from transplantation time. It can grow on many soil types but all good tomato soils must drain well. This crop is quite sensitive to low light and adverse temperatures. Optimum daily temperature for growth is 18 to 25ºC with night temperatures between 10 and 20ºC.

Production chain

Tomato production takes place both in the field and in greenhouses. In developing countries tomatoes are mostly produced in the field on individual bases or by small farmer groups. Growers and association groups then deliver their product to processing companies for cleaning, sorting and packing. When produced in the global south, transportation of the tomatoes is generally done by truck within the country of production and later it is transported by air or boat in refrigerated containers to the European Union. Tomatoes reach the market in form of fresh vegetables, soup, juice, sauce, ketchup, puree, paste or powder.

Problems

Workers in tomato production often struggle to earn enough income to make a living. In the U.S., the piece rate for tomato pickers has barely risen in twenty years and workers today are effectively paid 30 percent less than they were in 1980. In Spain, Italy and Mexico, tomato workers struggle with much of the same problems such as poor housing conditions and temporary contracts with little benefits. Farm workers report that, during the harvest, they work up to 10 to 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Workers are often subjected to unsafe working conditions. To disinfect the soil before the tomatoes are grown, the agent Methyl bromide is often used. Methyl bromide is a silent killer, colourless and odourless, affecting human health both directly and indirectly. It is lethal by nature and can cause neurological damage, causes harm to the reproductive organs and there are other types of poisoning. Under these circumstances in tomato production, forced labour is not unheard of. Sexual harassment in the male-dominated agricultural workplace continues to remain a serious problem for women farm workers. While investigating harassment of female farmworkers in California, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found that hundreds, if not thousands, female farmworkers were forced to have sex with supervisors to get or keep their jobs.

Priority issues

In the tomato sector, Fairfood International has identified the following priority issues:

Priority issues	Production stage
Insufficient Income and Income insecurity	Production
Unhealthy and unsafe working conditions	Production
Corruption	Whole chain
Forced Labour	Production
Discrimination	Production
Unreasonable working hours	Production
Harmful Agricultural or Aquafarming Practices	Production

*Brand Owners are required to cover a minimum number of five out of seven of the priority issues.

Solutions

The guide below shows certification schemes whose standards indicate a match with some or all of Fairfood's priority issues for this sector. To learn more about any of the schemes, click on their logo.

Global Gap	EU Organic Labels	Fairtrade	Rainforest Alliance	IMO Fair for Life
Production	Production	Production	Production	Production

Did you know...

That the tomato is native to South America (Peru and Ecuador) and was first domesticated in Mexico
The tomato is one of the world’s major fresh and processed fruit and is the second most important vegetable crop after the potato

Most important export countries

Spain
Italy
Mexico
Netherlands
Syrian Arabic Republic

Most important production countries

China
United States of America
Turkey
India
Egypt