Tomato prices have reportedly risen by 40% as of April 2026, driven by severe weather conditions, increased tariffs, and higher transportation costs. These rising prices disproportionately affect lower-income communities, where access to affordable fresh produce is already limited.
Mexico supplies more than 70% of the tomatoes consumed in the United States, making it the country’s largest foreign supplier, while Florida remains one of the largest domestic producers. Earlier this year, Mexico experienced unusually heavy rainfall that disrupted production and contributed to reduced tomato yields. At the same time, Florida faced freezing temperatures that damaged crops and hindered tomato development.
Trade policy changes have further increased costs. The Trump administration terminated a 2019 agreement that had allowed Mexican tomatoes to enter the United States. As a result, most tomato imports from Mexico are now subject to a 17.09% tariff.
In a July 14, 2025 press release, the U.S. Department of Commerce stated, “Now that the 2019 Agreement is terminated, Commerce is issuing an antidumping duty order, resulting in duties of 17.09 percent on most imports of tomatoes from Mexico. Antidumping duties are calculated to measure the percentage by which Mexican tomatoes have been sold in the United States at unfair prices.”
Transportation costs have also risen due to higher fuel prices linked to international tensions involving Iran, further increasing the overall cost of distributing tomatoes across the United States.
Families across the community are feeling the impact of rising tomato prices. For many lower-income households, the increase has made fresh produce less affordable at a time when food prices are already at an all-time high.
“Right now it is higher than normal. There is not enough for anything, and the most essential is the most expensive right now, and we can’t afford it,” said farmworker Jose Ramirez. “It isn’t good because we are already working temporarily, and that is essential that we need to cook. It’s used a lot, and now it’s expensive. We can’t even use it.”
Ramirez mentioned that being a farmworker entails periods of not working during difficult times, and it is not sustainable.
“Here it is all temporary. Here come the good times and the bad times, the cold times, and a lot of people don’t work. Sometimes there is work, sometimes there isn’t, and honestly, with the prices that everything is at, and especially with the higher prices of tomatoes, honestly, we can’t afford it… We can’t continue like this. It is too much for us, the ones that work temporarily. We need to save more, we have to spend less, it makes it harder on us,” said Ramirez.
Disproportionately affected parties also include college students who attempt to save more money by cooking at home but find it to no longer be an affordable option.
“I feel like, as a college student, it is very difficult because I feel like cooking at home is much better than getting fast food, or it’s supposed to be cheaper,” said Adriana Valdez, a college undergraduate student. “However, I feel like with the increase in price of tomatoes and produce in general, it’s much harder to want to cook because it takes time, and it’s going to turn out to be almost the same price.”
