Although greenhouse tomatoes still constitute a minority share of the U.S. fresh tomato market, their influence is growing in retail channels, which represents about half of U.S. tomato consumption. The greenhouse tomato industry has established itself as an important part of the North American fresh tomato industry. According to an article published in 2005 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, around 37 percent of all fresh tomatoes sold in U.S. retail stores are greenhouse produced, compared with negligible amounts in the early 1990s.

In a consumer society that appreciates differentiation and variety, greenhouse tomatoes can be seen as one more development in this trend in regards to tomato offerings, which has also seen a growth in the variety of in field-grown tomatoes. These improved varieties, as well as the positive health benefits associated with eating tomatoes have helped to contribute to a 30 percent rise in U.S. consumption of fresh tomatoes since the mid 1980s, with estimated 2003 annual per capita consumption levels around 19.4 pounds.

While greenhouse tomatoes typically have higher retail prices than field tomatoes, several factors have contributed to the growth in this sector: Their protection from weather and other conditions generally produce a much more uniform appearance than field tomatoes. Also, they are less likely to experience swings in production volumes. These factors have led to a greater consistency in quality, volumes and pricing – issues that are of particular concern to the retail and foodservice industries.

Major greenhouse industries have been established in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, with the United States being the largest North American market for greenhouse tomatoes. However, in recent years, the growth in U.S. imports has exceeded the growth in U.S. production. In 2003, Canada accounted for an estimated 46 percent of U.S. imports of greenhouse tomatoes.

One such Canadian greenhouse tomato grower is Great Northern Hydroponics, located in southern Ontario, where the singular focus is the production and packaging of gourmet tomatoes on the vine through state-of-the-art hydroponic technology.

Great Northern Hydroponics’ 50-acre greenhouse facility is capable of producing more than 2.1 million cases of gourmet tomatoes annually. The latest production techniques are applied such as raised troughs, inter planting, run-off fertilizer recycling, computerized climate controls, biological pest management, and computerized labor tracking.

The result is a tomato high in nutrients with extended shelf life, pesticide and herbicide free, and provides customers with significant value and uncompromised quality. Packaging capabilities are fully automated with the latest technology and include the ability to package in bulk, stickered and unstickered, and in plastic or netted bags.

At Great Northern Hydroponics, tomatoes aren’t the only thing the company is producing. Having recently signed a 20-year power purchase contract with the government of Ontario, Canada, the company has also developed a 12 mega-watt electrical power facility. Under this contract, the Canadian government will purchase enough electricity generated by the plant to power 5,000 residential homes in the local area.

Creating electricity from natural gas produces substantial amounts of thermal energy, as well as carbon dioxide exhaust emissions. This thermal energy, in the form of hot water, will be supplied to Great Northern Hydroponics to heat the greenhouse.

Have you read anything in the news lately about childhood
obesity, Jose Canseco and steroids, or fat free foods? Where is
the truth in any of that?

If only we lived and shopped in a pure world where labels told
the whole truth and nothing but the truth. But while consumers
rely on labels to make wise nutritional choices, food manufacturers use labels to sell their product. Remember when we used to read the label before making an informed purchase decision.

The two functions of a label — providing accurate information and enticing someone to buy the product — conflict and send mixed messages.One the one hand we read buy me and on the other is this product good for me?

Labels can be misleading, especially if you don’t learn to read between the lines and examine the fine print. today’s labels are very complex with statements that make claims or tout benefits that may not be true.Knowing what the words on the label really mean is a big step in learning to make nutritious and the right choices at the supermarket.

Through the years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
attempted to make sure that the food products made available to
the American public are safe for consumption. For most, the
likelihood of suffering a food or drug related illness is remote. That was until bio-terrorism threats reared its ugly head.

Yet, for those with specific food allergies or unique health
conditions, proper labeling on products is imperative in order to avoid potentially dangerous situations. The addition of
supplements and additives to food products poses another risk to consumers if it is discovered that the substance in question is harmful. It is therefore extremely important that consumers are made aware of specific dangers associated with food and food products, through accurate labeling, published warnings and their own investigation. Think about all the food products lately that have been recalled due to mislabeling at the manufacturers.

Here are a few popular product statements to consider:

No sugar added or low carb
The FDA has rules about labeling claims that specifically bar the use of “low” such as low-car yet it has not established a
standard for “low” for an ingredient or nutritional element (such as the standard for low fat)… So claims of low-carb on labels right now are actually illegal.

No MSG
MSG is sometimes hidden in food with labels that say “No Added
MSG” and “No MSG.”
Find out more at http://www.truthinlabeling.org/index.html

Got Milk? Well, is it really all its cracked up to be?
The latest claims are touting drinking milk as a way to lose
weight.
See http://www.stoplabelinglies.com/ and decide for yourself.

100% natural! Natural what?
A product label will state: “made with 100% natural ingredients,” or “made with 100% organic ingredients.” The “100%” claim often refers to one or two ingredients, which are “100% natural” or “100% organic” even if other ingredients are synthetic. So the bottom line is what is “natural” when it describes a product?

“Unscented” Yeah right, ever use any of these products?
That unscented product is many times worse that the scented variety. Anyway unscented is a misnomer — it does not mean “without chemical fragrances.” If an item is labeled “unscented,” it may contain a masking fragrance (which is a chemical fragrance designed to “block” the smells of other chemicals in the product) and additional toxic chemicals.

So the question remains — When is a product packaging misleading in its descriptions and are the manufactures deliberately deceptive? No one knows for sure. Let the buyer beware! It’s up to you the consumer to read the labels and make an informed decision as to the true benefits of a packaged product. Remember most products carry an 800 number on the package thatyou can call and ask about the product itself.

For various reasons, many of us are choosing to lower the fat in our diets. This desire to be more healthy makes the supermarket a new and scary place, where we have to investigate health claims on packages and ignore tempting ready-to-eat counters unless they offer nutrition labels for their hot foods. With a little practice, you’ll discover that balancing the fat in your diet is easy. This article will help you make the right choices to add low fat food to your regular menu.

Why Buy Low Fat Foods? Since a lot of flavors we enjoy are contained in the fats, what would get us to change? It’s a good question that far too many ask too late in life, after their medical condition forces the choice. After we’re ill, the choices are usually “eat cardboard” or “die.” That’s no way to live! If we’re willing to exercise a little self-control before we’re ill, we can have the flavorful foods we want and still lower our fats to reduce chances of heart attack, cancer, stroke, kidney failure and other problems associated with too high a fat intake. As an added benefit, because fats have twice the calories as proteins and carbohydrates, reducing the fats in our diets is a great way to lose weight without dieting. We just have to take a few simple steps to get started.

Not Buying Low Fat Claims: The first simple step to buy low fat foods is to ignore the health claims on packages in the supermarket. Ever seen the claim, “all natural?” This is often used to get you to think you’re buying healthy food. Consider that fat, cholesterol, sugar and salt are all 100% natural, and you can see what good that claim really is. “Lower Fat” is another popular package claim that bears suspicion. How much lower? Lower than what…pure lard? Of course, the words healthy, wholesome, nature, goodness, pure are all used to imply, but not commit to the health value of the product. Fortunately, thanks to the Government, there are ways to actually determine if a product is low-fat…enter the nutrition label.

Fat And The Nutrition Label: This is the easiest way to determine if a packaged food is actually low in fat. Now, bear with me a bit, because these can be deceptive, too. First, note the serving size. All the other amounts on the label are based on that amount, not the whole package. If you’re only managing your fat intake, there are only two other items on the label you need to look at. You can ignore that whole table of amounts and Daily Value (DV). Look, the label can break fats down into a dozen or more categories, but I believe if we keep this thing simple we might actually do it. Instead of that stuff, look at “calories” and “calories from fat.” With a pocket calculator (or cell phone) divide the smaller number by the larger. This should result in a number that looks like “0.35xx.” The first two digits after the decimal point is the percentage of calories from fat, or 35% in this example. Depending on who you listen to, to be healthy, your menu should contain around 30% fat. Don’t freak out on me, now! This doesn’t mean you can’t have anything over 30%…it’s a balancing act.

Balancing The Fat In Your Diet: The way to get to a 30% fat diet and still enjoy the flavor of those foods with a little higher fat is to balance the things you eat. If you eat only pre-packaged, prepared foods, your choices will be limited to those packages that actually have around 30% fat, but this includes many very good choices. I use several tasty frozen entrees for convenience and have no trouble staying between 20% and 30% fat. But, what if you cook your own foods…how do you know how much fat you’re getting? This is where a list of low fat foods can come in handy. You can balance out the higher fat foods (bottom of list) with the lower fat foods (top of list) to come up with an acceptable amount of fat in your diet. That’s really all there is to balancing the fats in your daily diet.

So, there you have it! The tools to avoid the false health claims, read the nutrition label and balance the fat in your whole diet. You have power to make the right choices in the supermarket so you’ll make the right choices at home. So, let’s get started!