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Highlands Today

Bronson Opens 'Fresh From Florida' Program To Tomato Industry

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Special to Highlands Today

Published: June 14, 2008

TALLAHASSEE – Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson is reaching out to growers, distributors and retailers of Florida-grown tomatoes to help restore confidence in the state's tomato crop.

In an effort to assist with the sale of Florida tomatoes now that the areas in production have been declared safe, the department will offer "Fresh from Florida" labels and/or point of purchase materials upon request. Anyone involved in the production or sale of Florida tomatoes can call the Division of Marketing and Development at 850-488-9948 or e-mail mailto:fapc@doacs.state.fl.us.

The logos are also temporarily being placed on the department's Web site, www.florida-
agriculture.com, for distributors and retailers to download. There will be no charge for the requested materials or for shipping. The material will be available for 10 days. For continued use of the "Fresh from Florida" logo, businesses are encouraged to contact the Division of Marketing and Development for information about Florida Agricultural Promotional Campaign (FAPC) membership.

On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration put the areas of Florida currently in tomato production on the "safe to eat" list indicating they could not be the source of a salmonella outbreak that has impacted predominantly western states. Tomato harvesting is currently under way in the Quincy, Palmetto and Ruskin areas.

Bronson says he wants to be proactive in getting the word out that these tomatoes are safe, wholesome, and grown under the strictest regulations in the nation. He says by using the logos, retailers can show consumers that the tomatoes came from Florida.

"We want to reach out to make sure our tomatoes not only make it to the retail shelves but also into consumers' shopping carts," Bronson said. "When they see the "Fresh from Florida" logo, they will know exactly where the tomatoes were grown."

The Department's Division of Fruit and Vegetables has been busily issuing certificates with each shipment of tomatoes, indicating the harvest date and location. Nearly four million 25-pound cartons have been certified since Tuesday afternoon.

"That is indicative of the popularity of Florida tomatoes," Bronson said. "I'm pleased these tomatoes were put on the 'safe to eat' list. It would have been a tragedy if they had been wasted."

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