Canned tomato growers seek consumers on social media

Growers of canned tomatoes, faced with the fresh-is-better mantra among consumers, have taken their case to Facebook and other social media.

They gathered in Modesto this week to hear the latest on this campaign and about water, exports and other issues facing the industry.

Leaders said business generally is strong, with extensive plantings even amid the four-year drought, but it could be even better if consumers learn what’s really in the cans.

“Moms feel guilty reaching into the cupboard for a can of tomatoes,” said Alec Wasson, who is helping with the social media campaign. “We’re trying to reach out to them that they’re getting more lycopene (a possible cancer fighter) than in a raw tomato.”

About 225 people turned out at Modesto Centre Plaza for the 69th annual meeting of the California Tomato Growers Association. Its products go to canneries that employ several thousand people each summer. The group does not deal in fresh-market products, which earn much more per pound but are far lower in volume.

The canning industry is among the largest in the northern San Joaquin Valley, where growers had an estimated $289 million in gross income in 2014.

Canners tells consumers that their tomatoes are harvested at the peak of ripeness, unlike the many fresh-market versions that are picked yellow and later ripen. They say the process seals in nutrients and, in the case of lycopene, even increases the amount. And they note that canned tomatoes are affordable, available year-round, and easy to use.

The social media campaign, now in its third and final year, was developed by the Tomato Products Wellness Council. It uses Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and other channels to share recipes, videos and health tips.

“(Growers) are starting to appreciate that even if they aren’t on Facebook, that’s where the moms are,” Wasson said.

He calls himself “chief tomato evangelist” on his business card. He is the son of Rodger Wasson, who also is working on the campaign and used to lead groups promoting almonds, strawberries and other farm products.

The Facebook effort resulted in 7.6 million “impressions” on consumers last year, and other media are doing well, too, Alec Wasson said. The most success has come in the Midwest and South and among lower-income families looking for bargains, he said.

The industry also is working to increase sales to school cafeterias and other large-scale users of tomato sauce, salsa, ketchup and other products. It argues, for example, that pizza is healthier with more sauce and less cheese and sausage.

California growers produced a record 14.3 million tons of canning tomatoes last year, said Mike Montna, the association’s president and chief executive officer.

The group negotiated a price of $80 per ton from processors, the second-highest on record, so tomatoes were a worthwhile use for the limited water, he said.

Growers expect to produce about 13.2 million tons this year, according to a survey this month by the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Industry leaders said this actually could be too much, since worldwide inventories of processed tomatoes are high.

“With weakness in the export market, we can’t sell that much, said Bruce Rominger, a Yolo County grower and chairman of the group’s board.

He noted the recent strengthening of the dollar against other currencies, which makes U.S. products more expensive in other nations. On top of that are European Union tariffs that add 14 percent to the cost.

This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 6:07 PM with the headline "Canned tomato growers seek consumers on social media."