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The Tomato Papers
Year Published: 1980Resource Type: Serial Publication (Periodical) Cx Number: CX1055 Abstract: The Tomato Papers is OPIRG's newest publication on the food industry. Tomatoes are the largest crop, in terms of monetary value produced by the Ontario Fruit and vegetable industry. Ontario produces almost all of the tomatoes grown and consumed in Ontario. As such, the tomatoe industry is a fitting case study of what is really happening to the fruit and vegetable industry in general. Symptomatic on an industry in decline, The Tomato Papers tells us that Ontario is no longer producing enough to meet its needs. Instead, we are increasingly dependent on imported tomatoes from the U.S. and the Third World. The necessity of this is questioned in the OPRIG study. The Tomato Papers is actually a series of studies focusing on four aspects of the industry - producing, processing, marketing (retailing), and a special section on food quality. It includes material on the growth of large corporate farms; the purchase of independent processors by the large companies like Heinz, Libby and Del Monte to reduce their competition; the history of the treatment of independent farmers by these same larrge companies and the declining quality of food nutrition in processed products while the companies spend their research funds for improved marketing techniques. This publication provides an in-depth picture of the food industry for individuals with some prior knowledge of food issues and will be of particular interest to farmers, food workers, consumer and church groups. |