The state of tomato processing

[Snadra]

http://www.smh.com.au/national/canned-why-local-tomatoes-cop-a-pasting-20120526-1zc2q.html

This article from the Sydney Morning Herald looks at the woeful state of the local tomato processing industry, and why Australian shelves are being taken over by tomatoes processed in Italy. Here farmers face climatic difficulties, as well as competing against heavily EU-subsidised producers.

Locally produced and processed tomatoes were absolutely woeful when I first arrived in this country, and so I started buying Italian tomatoes and never looked back. But I am ashamed to admit that I never wondered why italian tomatoes have become so cheap lately, and never considered there might be a human cost.

What do you know about the Italian tomatoes you buy? Does reading stories like this make you reconsider your purchasing decisons?

For my part, if local producers can't give me a decent product, they don't deserve my business, but I think it's worth doing an unscientific product comparison of my own. What do you think the best comparison might be? I thought maybe Marcella Hazan's simple tomato-butter sauce might work.

[Shalmanese]

Good. I always found Australian tomatos to be way too sour and out of balance.

[Paul Bacino]

My Basic sauce is garlic ,onion, tomato, basil!!

[ChrisTaylor]

I also only buy Italian tomatoes as they are a superior product sold for essentially the same price as the local offerings. And I agree with you: I buy good products as opposed to products that make me feel patriotic. Australian growers are capable of turning out nice (fresh) tomatoes so I refuse to pay much attention to the standard excuse of the poor state of the industry being someone else's fault.