Britons give classic round tomato the red card as coloured and vine varieties score
British consumers are shifting away from the traditional red round tomato, with sales of coloured and cherry-on-the-vine varieties rising rapidly. Non‑red tomatoes have grown 21% this year, and premium cherry-on-the-vine tomatoes are set to overtake the classic round in sales. The market, worth just over £1 billion annually, is seeing growers expand production of new, flavorful varieties to meet changing preferences.
- ▪Sales of non‑red tomatoes are up 21% this year, outpacing overall market growth.
- ▪Premium cherry‑on‑the‑vine tomatoes are projected to surpass the classic round tomato in sales this year.
- ▪The classic round tomato’s annual sales have fallen to about £190 million, roughly £5 million below 2025 levels.
- ▪Growers have reallocated 20% of their area to orange cherry‑on‑the‑vine varieties, citing improved taste and appearance.
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‘Now we’ve got new varieties that not only look great but taste fantastic,’ said one leading grower. Photograph: Tim Gainey/AlamyView image in fullscreen‘Now we’ve got new varieties that not only look great but taste fantastic,’ said one leading grower. Photograph: Tim Gainey/AlamyTomatoesBritons give classic round tomato the red card as coloured and vine varieties scorePremium cherry-on-the-vine are poised to take top spot in Britain’s £1bn-a-year tomato marketZoe WoodMon 13 Jul 2026 00.01 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleFor a long time the classic round, red tomato has dominated British salads and sandwiches, but its supremacy is coming under threat as sales of rainbow colours and the upmarket rival “cherry on the vine” take off.“Non-red tomatoes” sales are up 21% this year, a…
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