Tomato supply faces pressure from rising production costs

The supply and cost of tomatoes are facing significant pressure due to environmental and economic factors. While summer heatwaves have impacted recent availability, winter production faces rising operational expenses.

In the United Kingdom, maintaining year-round tomato production requires intensive greenhouse management, including heating, supplemental lighting, ventilation, and CO2 enrichment. These technologies are energy-dependent, and the National Farmers’ Union has warned that rising electricity grid fees could increase annual costs for large greenhouse operators by more than £1 million.

While UK tomato production saw a 4% increase in 2025, reaching approximately 79,000 tonnes, the combination of high energy requirements and the need to import crops from warmer regions during winter poses a challenge to maintaining low prices for consumers.