USDA
Decision Clears Path for Year-Round Availability
of the Flavorful UglyRipe®
Tomato
Consumer-Driven Decision
Means Mid-Summer Tomato Taste in the Middle
of Winter
[WASHINGTON,
Jan. 17] The U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) has intervened
in the national debate over the UglyRipe(r)
tomato, freeing the heirloom beefsteak
variety tomato from the shape restrictions
imposed by the Florida Tomato
Committee (FTC).
The tomato's developer, Joe Procacci,
had been at odds over the tomato with
the FTC, a group of competing growers
sanctioned by federal law. The FTC is
empowered to determine all size and shape
standards for tomatoes entering the U.S.
market from mid-October to mid-June, the
time of year when many Americans claim
they're unable to find a tasty tomato.
For the last three years, the FTC has
found that the UglyRipe does not meet
its rigorous standards, which are based
on size and shape, but not taste. The
FTC rejection meant that the tomatoes
were prohibited for sale outside of the
Florida growing region during the winter
months.
The new USDA rule, published in today's
Federal Register, amends the Florida Tomato
Marketing Order to exempt the UglyRipe
from the shape portion of the USDA grade
standards as long as the UglyRipe is grown,
packed, and distributed under USDA's Identity
Preservation Program (IPP). The IPP uses
the unique genetic fingerprint of a produce
variety to assure that it is in fact the
product claimed by its grower. The UglyRipe
will still have to meet all of the other
grade standards imposed under the marketing
order.
The UglyRipe, available as conventional
or organic produce, took over 20 years
and more than $3 million in research funding
by Procacci Brothers Sales Corporation
to develop. The brand is marketed by Santa
Sweets, a Plant City, Fla. company owned
by Procacci Brothers Sales Corporation
(PBSC).
"Thanks to the USDA, consumers can
now have the mid-summer goodness of tomato
season all year round," said Joe
Procacci, CEO, PBSC. "It's taken
me 59 years in the tomato business to
develop and market the UglyRipe tomato
from Santa Sweets. The UglyRipe gets fan
mail. There's no other way to put it.
I'm thrilled!"
For three years beginning in 1999 the
FTC exempted the UglyRipe from the standards
of Florida round tomatoes and allowed
the heirloom variety UglyRipe to be shipped
outside the state. After the 2003-2004
crop of UglyRipes were already in the
ground, the FTC refused to allow the product
to be sold outside of Florida, claiming
the UglyRipe was too misshapen and would
damage the reputation of the Florida marketplace,
resulting in millions of pounds of tasty
tomatoes wasted.
Last year, USDA proposed a rule change
to grant a partial exemption to the Minimum
Grade Requirements for the UglyRipe tomato
and in September published the public
comments regarding the proposed change.
The overwhelming majority of comments
supported the change. Sample comments
from these letters appear at the end of
the press release. The Company has also
received hundreds of e-mails from fans
of the UglyRipe, many wondering where
the UglyRipe can be found near them.
"I have sold tomatoes since I was
a boy during the Depression," said
Mr. Procacci. "This is the first
tomato that tastes like a tomato should
taste, and yet is hardy enough to ship
across the country. The UglyRipe fulfills
my dream, to provide a backyard tasting
tomato year round."
The UglyRipe is set to be the first product
in the USDA's Identity Preservation Program,
a comprehensive auditing system for verifying
production, handling, processing and storage
of unique, value-added crops. The program
also affords participants opportunities
to verify other product quality traits,
such as variety.
Fans of the UglyRipe can also look forward
to a new outlet to share their passion
with other fans. Santa Sweets plans to
launch a tomato blog in the coming weeks
that can be accessed from its website
www.santasweets.com.
The Company also plans an online store
for customers who prefer to order UglyRipes
online.
"If Harry & David can sell pears
in a box, then we can sell tasty tomatoes,"
said Mr. Procacci.
Santa Sweets is a produce
grower and marketer based in Plant City,
Florida and is a wholly owned subsidiary
of Procacci Brothers Sales Corporation.
The Company's focus is on growing the
most flavorful produce on the market,
including the UglyRipe tomato and Santa
Sweets' Grape tomatoes. In addition to
conventional tomatoes, Santa Sweets is
also one of the largest growers of USDA-certified
organic tomatoes. For more information,
go to their website, www.santasweets.com
Procacci Brothers, headquartered
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was founded
in 1948 and has since become one of the
largest growers and handlers of fresh
tomatoes in the world, handling over 275
thousand tons of organic and conventional
produce per year. Procacci Brothers and
its Garden State Farms division supply
the supermarket industry with a full line
of fresh repacked and private labeled
fruits and vegetables from around the
world. In addition, they are a major supplier
of pre-made gift baskets, packed fresh
to order daily. From the freshest produce
in the world, to the most innovative packaging,
to attentive and personalized service,
it's always the best. For more information,
go to www.procaccibrothers.com