A new levy on tomatoes has pitted some restaurateurs, importers and cherry tomato aficionados against Florida farmers and their signature crop: the big, round tomatoes commonly sliced for burgers.
Tomatoes imported from Mexico will be subject to a 17.09 percent levy starting in mid-July as the Trump administration withdraws from a decades-old trade agreement. Tomato growers in Florida — a top tomato-producing state — say the new duties protect domestic farmers, but others in the industry say it will backfire because about 65 percent of U.S.-consumed tomatoes come from Mexico, including most of the sweet, vine-ripened and small varieties that are increasingly popular with shoppers.
"Consumers will be left with fewer choices," said Skip Hulett of NatureSweet, a Texas-based company that grows most of its tomatoes in Mexico.
The new duties are opposed by retail and restaurant associations who say it could limit year-round access to tomatoes at a time when shoppers have become accustomed to seeing heirloom, cherry and other varieties regularly stocked in stores.
Read more at The Washington Post
