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TOMATOES THAT DON’T MAKE YOUR SANDWICH SOGGY LAUNCHED IN UK

Tesco

27 April 2009

It’s the curse of picnickers, school kids, and anyone else
who packs a sarnie to eat later in the day – tomatoes that
end up making the sandwich soggy.
With tomatoes being one of our favourite ingredients it’s
a problem that has afflicted sandwich lovers down the ages.
But now help is finally on hand thanks to the world’s
first non-leaking tomatoes which will go on sale exclusively at
Tesco stores across the UK from tomorrow.
Said Tesco tomato buyer Emma Pettitt: “The arrival of the
non-leaking tomato may well be heralded by sarnie fans as the best
thing to hit the sandwich world since sliced bread.
“As one of the most universally used sandwich ingredients
the problem is one that affects millions of people every day in the
UK.
“Tomatoes are one of Britain’s most loved vegetables
but unfortunately their juiciness sometimes means that by lunchtime
our lovely salad sarnie resembles a piece of wet cardboard. From
now on that will be a thing of the past.”
The non-leaking tomatoes were grown in Holland and are part of a
long term tomato seed breeding programme that began in 1986.
After trials using more than 100 varieties the breakthrough came
last year when through natural breeding methods the growers
developed one that held its shape when sliced, baked or diced.
Tests also showed that when making a sandwich from a standard
tomato eight per cent of its weight is lost after slicing it and a
further 12 per cent of the moisture seeps into the bread only an
hour later.
The performance of the non-leaking variety is significantly
better - less than one per cent moisture is lost when the tomato is
sliced and only three per cent seeps into the bread but 12 hours
after the sandwich is made.
As well as their most obvious use in preserving the freshness of
sandwiches the non-leaking tomatoes will also help in the
preparation of salads and other favourite dishes such as pizza,
spaghetti, salsa and lasagne.
Added Tesco’s Emma Pettitt: “As we all know tomatoes
can be tricky to chop and a squirt of juice can easily end up on
the kitchen wall or over your shirt.
“The non-leaking variety will stop that problem but
without the tomato losing any of its taste.
“The new tomato is also economical as tests have shown
that you need around 30 per cent less than regular varieties when
making a sauce.
“Finding innovative new products that suit the needs of
our shoppers is very important to us and we think that this could
revolutionise the sandwich world.”
The non-leaking tomatoes go on sale at Tesco stores across
Britain from tomorrow, Monday April 27, priced at 99p for a punnet
of four.
For more information please contact Mike Baess on
01992 646079
or Tesco Press Office on 01992 644645.