Residents in search of lettuce salads, BLT sandwiches and deluxe style hamburgers, or the ingredients to make them, may be disappointed upon their next trip to the grocery store or favorite restaurant as a tomato shortage in the country is driving up prices and some restaurants are going without.
Those in the industry say vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, spinach and bell peppers will be in short supply until late March or mid-April.
Below-normal temperatures in early February in Mexico, Florida, Arizona and Texas have caused crops to freeze, which in turn means less fresh produce to go around, said Ralph Dockter, vice president of retail operations for Dan's Supermarket, Bismarck.
"I didn't really receive any warning there was going to be a shortage," Dockter said. "But I knew one may be coming when I began hearing weather reports from the growing states."
Ray Gilmer, vice president of communications at the United Fresh Produce Association in Washington, D.C. said most of America's winter supply of those types of vegetables are grown in southern states and Mexico.
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"In most cases, Mexico and the southern states time their harvests so that they don't overlap with each other and so that in the event one area received crop damage others could make up for it," Gilmer said. "It just so happens that the whole area got hit this time."
Gilmer said he expects American vegetables to rebound in late March.
"It's just going to take a couple of months for the next harvest," Gilmer said.
Dockter said though area stores are short on tomatoes this week, customers may also see a shortage and price increases.
"When there is a shortage prices do increase because of supply and demand," Docktor said, adding that the shortage so far has just affected fresh produce.
"As far as canned vegetables, spaghetti sauce, salsa and products of that nature, I don't think the shortage has hit them yet, but that is not to say it won't if the shortage continues," Dockter said.
Gilmer said some restaurants have backed off from buying certain types of produce because of the price increase and availability. One such restaurant is Wendy's.
"This seems to happen every couple of years," Greg McDonald, president of Wendy's of Montana and Dickinson said. "In times of shortage we feel the quality goes down and the price goes up and because of this, we have decided to serve vegetables like lettuce and tomatoes by request only."
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McDonald added he expects the shortage to last through mid-April.
Dakota Diner in Dickinson, isn't being impacted, Manager Parker Pladson said.
"We will still buy and serve tomatoes," he said.
