The journey of a tomato.....

California and Florida are leading tomato producing states
But local tomatoes are in season from July until mid fall.
(We are picking a couple tomatoes today in the garden)
The tomatoes below are VERY common in restaurants ALL year.
They are picked GREEN and then shipped and gassed with ethylene. Many claim ethylene is safe. 
However it only turns the tomato red. It really doesn't ripen the tomato. Which is why a good looking tomato tastes terrible. 
Plus the tomato industry is riddled with slave labor in Florida. 1200 people have been freed in the last 10 years from agriculture slavery in Florida alone. They pay by the bucket picked, charge employees to live in a cargo trailer, charge for showers, charge for food and beat them if they try to leave. These are migrant workers that have no place to go. So they stay for the very few dollars that they actually end up getting.
So when you see tomatoes for $1 and tomatoes for $5 a lb there is a major reason why. Of course buying local in season is best from a small farm, CSA or market.
That case of tomatoes in the picture is around $15 for a restaurant. We pay between $30 to $60 a case depending on the time of the year. And we are glad to pay that. We have a great supplier when they are not in season locally. Guaranteed not to be gassed, they are picked ripe, soil grown, family run operation that pays employees fair.
If you found this beneficial then please share it. And even better ask for real food when you go out to eat.