Tomatoes fail taste test

SUPERMARKET shoppers have been disappointed by the taste of tomatoes and strawberries on sale this year, a survey has found.

The results of the poll have prompted consumer association CLCV to call for a “taste label” that would help shoppers identifying the fruit and veg with the greatest flavour.

CLCV said that their survey had found that premium prices were no indication. It said: “Today's consumers are already paying more for certain fruits and vegetables without any guarantee on taste.”

Only 27% of those surveyed said that they had enjoyed the taste of the tomatoes they had bought in supermarkets this year.

The opinion of strawberries was better, with 43% saying they liked the flavour - but 39% said the flavour was “neither good nor bad”.

Price is no indication of taste, the survey found. The average price for strawberries this year has been €8.60 a kilo, but it has varied from €2.40 to €16.80.

But the lauded - and more costly - gariguette strawberry was no more highly rated for flavour than less expensive types among the 1,050 people questioned in the study.

Earlier this year, a supermarket strawberry promotion sparked outrage among French producers.

More expensive tomatoes, which can cost as little as 1€ and as much as €7 per kilo, fared no better in the poll.

“Consumers found little difference between the cheapest round tomatoes, vine tomatoes or more expensive ribbed varieties,” the CLCV said.

The organisation said that shoppers can be seduced by the colour and the shape of fruit and vegetables, but warned that this is no guarantee of flavour.

Photo: Ewan