New varieties, branding and packaging initiatives are the new product attributes for retail snacking tomatoes. These include variations on fruit size, including berry size but also medium size with more distinctive shapes. Many are also now offering new packaging options as they respond to concerns about waste.
Australian consumers have continued to buy more snacking tomatoes and demand has been fuelled by ease of purchase, taste consistency and a home shelf life that minimises waste. It is also clear that these products, which the industry refers to as “snacking”, enjoy a full range of uses and are a staple for smaller households. Tomato retail sales in Australia have recovered with more value from both truss and outdoor, where the supply pressure has eased and prices have firmed. The flow on impact has returned the category to growth with snacking tomatoes still contributing a significant 40% of the total retail tomato category sales value.
→ Snacking tomatoes have been a driver of tomato category value growth for some time and a series of new product attributes are now poised to attempt to take that growth further.