Florida Tomato Growers Kick off Season with Culinary Art Contest

Tag : tomato
This fall, the Florida tomato growers will conduct a 15 markettomato art contest and tour to kick off the 2008 season andreintroduce America's most popular tomato, the Florida field-growntomato, to consumers throughout the Eastern United States. TheFlorida Tomato Culinary Art Tour will bring a tomato art exhibitand mini tomato festival to major food retailers and food serviceoperators to showcase the beauty, exquisite taste and nutritionalbenefits of Florida grown tomatoes. Local celebrity chefs and artcontest winners will be in each market as well doing what they dobest - cooking with and painting tomatoes.

The Florida Tomato Committee is launching its Florida TomatoCulinary Art Tour in an effort to restore consumer confidence intomatoes after the Salmonella scare over the summer where tomatoeswere initially suspect, but then FDA lab tests later confirmedother sources. As part of the tour, consumers will be educatedabout measures Florida tomato growers have instituted to ensure thesafety of Florida field-grown tomatoes, including new packing andsanitation practices.

The Tour will also allow the Florida tomato growers to directlyreach and get involved with consumers in key markets via sampling,exhibitions and local publicity.

In addition to the Tour, the Committee has launched an aggressive15 media market campaign plan incorporating public relations andradio and print advertising. The print advertising effort includeshalf-page advertisements in Parade Magazine - which will bedistributed to 62 newspapers throughout the Eastern United States -with messaging that supports Florida tomato growers long-standingcommitment and dedication to providing generations of families'tables with quality, flavorful tomatoes grown in the rich, fertilesoils of Florida. Florida tomato growers will also providepartnering grocery retailers with free 20-second tags on radiospots in each market -- 770 radio spots delivering 6.2 millionlisteners. Along the tour, print and broadcast media in each marketwill be visited with tomato cooking ideas, information andinterviews with growers and packers, as well as ... tomatoes, ofcourse.

Target media markets include: Portland (ME), Boston, Albany, NewYork, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte,Greenville, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and Miami.

For the art contest, a panel of influencers will select 15 winners,each from different cities. Each winner will receive $1,000 andqualify to win a Grand Prize of $2,000. The winning art will beauctioned to benefit the Produce for Better Health Foundation.

For more information on The Florida Tomato Culinary Art Tour andart contest, including contest rules, please visit:www.floridatomatoart.com. Food retailers wanting to get involved inThe Florida Tomato Culinary Art Tour, please contact: SamanthaWinters at Samantha@floridatomatoes.org.

About Florida Tomatoes and the Florida Tomato Committee

Fresh, Florida field-grown tomatoes are the premiere tomatoes ofAmerica. Grown throughout Florida's rich farmland, these prides ofthe south gems are field-grown for freshness, flavor, firmness andtexture.

The Florida Tomato marketing order regulates the handling oftomatoes grown in Florida, and is administered locally by theFlorida Tomato Committee (Committee). The Committee consists oftwelve members and twelve alternates who are all tomato growers inCentral and South Florida and are appointed each year by the U. S.Secretary of Agriculture. Under the order, the Committeeestablishes and enforces quality and packing standards on Floridafresh market tomatoes. It also supports research and education andconducts a well-rounded education and promotion plan designed toincrease per capita consumption of fresh Florida tomatoes.