IE tomato prices hit an eight-year high as tariffs, freezes, and diesel stack up

The Citrus Belt Review: Fresh tomato prices climbed nearly 23% over the past year, hitting an average $2.26 a pound in March — the highest in eight years. The jump was steep and recent: $2.26 was up from $1.90 in February, a 15.3% rise in a single month. On Inland Empire shelves now, Romas and slicers run roughly $1.50 to $2.50 a pound, with heirloom, on-the-vine, and organic types at $3 to $4 and up. Stater Bros., the San Bernardino-based chain that dominates IE grocery, tends to price produce just under the Albertsons and Vons tier, where Romas have listed around $1.47 a pound.

The wholesale side is worse. At the Los Angeles Terminal Market — the hub that feeds IE grocers and restaurants — vine-ripe tomatoes ran $27 to $38 a carton in mid-May, with Roma and plum types at $32 to $35 per 25-pound carton, most of it crossing from Mexico's Baja region through Otay Mesa. One distributor said a 25-pound box that cost $25 a month ago now runs triple that.

Three pressures are stacking up. A 17% tariff now hits Mexican tomatoes, which supply about 90% of US imports. Winter freezes damaged Mexican crops. And diesel — the cost of trucking tomatoes into a region that imports nearly all of them — has climbed more than 50% since late February, tied to the conflict with Iran. Each driver alone would pinch; together they compound through every step from crossing to shelf.

The outlook doesn't ease the pressure. West Coast Tomato expects costs to rise another 10% to 15% in the fall on continued transport, oil, and fertilizer strain, and analysts don't see real relief without a strong California harvest.