Pizza could be set to get more pricey, as tomato costs hit restaurants in ‘perfect storm’

The cost of a slice of pizza looks likely to increase as a ‘perfect storm’ hits wholesale and hospitality businesses. A poor tomato harvest in Italy, coupled with a swathe of other economic factors, means that the traditionally cheapest option for a dinner out could be about to cost more.

The situation in supermarkets has been hitting headlines in recent weeks, with shortages of fresh tomatoes across the UK. But tinned tomatoes have also seen a huge increase.

Bob Amato runs Amato Food Products in Piccadilly, and has seen the cost of tomatoes imported from Italy double. He told the Manchester Evening News: “Tomatoes are in short supply, they are out there, but the prices have gone up. The supermarkets in this country, for their own reasons, have said ‘we’re not going to pay that price’.

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“So the supermarkets aren’t buying, but other people are, so that’s why when you go to your local greengrocers, they’ve got them. They’re just more expensive. But because of Brexit, importing fresh product into this country has become increasingly difficult.”

Increasing transport costs too, caused by Brexit, have created a ‘perfect storm’, Amato says. “Tinned tomato prices have shot up,” he goes on. “We used to pay around £8 for six cans. That jumped up to £12, and they £16 at the start of the year, and now we’re paying around £18. It has been a poor harvest, so you can’t blame Brexit for all of it.

“Tomatoes are susceptible to small changes in weather, so too much rain can damage the fruit and they can then mature too quickly so they can’t get them into the canning factory quick enough. Not enough rain means the yield is much less.”

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