Tesco to Launch Non-Leaking Tomatoes

After trials using more than 100 varieties the breakthrough came last year when through natural breeding methods the growers developed one that held its shape when sliced, baked or diced.

28/04/09 It’s the curse of picnickers, school kids, and anyone else who packs a sandwich to eat later in the day – tomatoes that end up making the sandwich soggy.

With tomatoes being one of our favourite ingredients it’s a problem that has afflicted sandwich lovers down the ages.

But now help is finally on hand thanks to the world’s first non-leaking tomatoes which will go on sale exclusively at Tesco stores across the UK.

Said Tesco tomato buyer Emma Pettitt: “The arrival of the non-leaking tomato may well be heralded by sarnie fans as the best thing to hit the sandwich world since sliced bread.

“As one of the most universally used sandwich ingredients the problem is one that affects millions of people every day in the UK.

“Tomatoes are one of Britain’s most loved vegetables but unfortunately their juiciness sometimes means that by lunchtime our lovely salad sarnie resembles a piece of wet cardboard. From now on that will be a thing of the past.”

The non-leaking tomatoes were grown in Holland and are part of a long term tomato seed breeding programme that began in 1986.

After trials using more than 100 varieties the breakthrough came last year when through natural breeding methods the growers developed one that held its shape when sliced, baked or diced.

Tests also showed that when making a sandwich from a standard tomato eight per cent of its weight is lost after slicing it and a further 12 per cent of the moisture seeps into the bread only an hour later.

The performance of the non-leaking variety is significantly better - less than one per cent moisture is lost when the tomato is sliced and only three per cent seeps into the bread but 12 hours after the sandwich is made.

As well as their most obvious use in preserving the freshness of sandwiches the non-leaking tomatoes will also help in the preparation of salads and other favourite dishes such as pizza, spaghetti, salsa and lasagne.

Added Tesco’s Emma Pettitt: “As we all know tomatoes can be tricky to chop and a squirt of juice can easily end up on the kitchen wall or over your shirt.

“The non-leaking variety will stop that problem but without the tomato losing any of its taste.

“The new tomato is also economical as tests have shown that you need around 30 per cent less than regular varieties when making a sauce.

“Finding innovative new products that suit the needs of our shoppers is very important to us and we think that this could revolutionise the sandwich world.”

The non-leaking tomatoes go on sale at Tesco stores across Britain from tomorrow, Monday April 27, priced at 99p for a punnet of four.