Go to a grocery store and if you can locate the boxes and check the farm. Something like 45% of the world’s fruit comes from our state alone. Not just the USA’s. Do you ever eat Dominos? Those are Cali tomatoes.
The state produces over 80–90% of U.S. processing tomatoes, and up to 30% of the world’s processed tomato products.
We’re right up there with China then.
To expand on our crops.
Summary: California’s Greatest Global Contributions
Crop / Commodity Approx. Global or U.S. Share Export Value / Economic Notes
Almonds ~80% of world almond supply ~$4–5 billion in export revenue
Pistachios Majority of U.S.; top global supplier Nearly $3 billion in exports
Walnuts Dominates U.S. walnut output A top-five export; billions in total value
Grapes / Wine ~90% of U.S. supply Major in wine exports and table grape trade
Strawberries ~90% of U.S. production Exports and fresh domestic consumption
Tomatoes (processing) ~80–90% of U.S., ~30% global processed Used heavily in sauces, canned goods, exports
Lettuce & Vegetables ~90%+ U.S. lettuce supply, large share of leafy greens Major fresh market and export presence
Citrus Fruits ~80% of U.S. citrus Strong export markets globally
Dairy Products ~20% of U.S. milk, highest cash receipts in CA Domestic supply and export of cheese, milk, butter)
It’s a bit more nuanced. If you’re in North America, it’s more likely than not that you’ll have a Californian tomato. If you’re in Asia, it’s probably Chinese. If you’re in Europe there’s a lot of clout for Italian tomatoes, but you’ll probably see a lot of local produce front and centre, with maybe some budget options from another country or in the off-season.
But ultimately water shortages in Cali are going to have little effect on Europe. Prices on the shelve are so far removed beyond cost that a global market price rise caused by the shortage won’t have a massive effect on the price consumers pay - we’re already paying as much as they can get away with charging, at this point it doesn’t really matter much what excuse they use to raise the price because they were already planning to do that anyway.
Pretty sure my tomatoes don’t come from California lol.
Go to a grocery store and if you can locate the boxes and check the farm. Something like 45% of the world’s fruit comes from our state alone. Not just the USA’s. Do you ever eat Dominos? Those are Cali tomatoes.
This is obviously not true. Maybe it’s true across North America, but California does not produce 50% of the world’s produce.
American produce is not found on the shelves of European supermarkets. Even big franchises like Dominos, they source more locally than that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato#Production
China produce the most tomatoes in the world, at 37% of the global supply.
Tomatoes (processing & fresh)
The state produces over 80–90% of U.S. processing tomatoes, and up to 30% of the world’s processed tomato products.
We’re right up there with China then.
To expand on our crops.
Summary: California’s Greatest Global Contributions Crop / Commodity Approx. Global or U.S. Share Export Value / Economic Notes Almonds ~80% of world almond supply ~$4–5 billion in export revenue Pistachios Majority of U.S.; top global supplier Nearly $3 billion in exports Walnuts Dominates U.S. walnut output A top-five export; billions in total value Grapes / Wine ~90% of U.S. supply Major in wine exports and table grape trade Strawberries ~90% of U.S. production Exports and fresh domestic consumption Tomatoes (processing) ~80–90% of U.S., ~30% global processed Used heavily in sauces, canned goods, exports Lettuce & Vegetables ~90%+ U.S. lettuce supply, large share of leafy greens Major fresh market and export presence Citrus Fruits ~80% of U.S. citrus Strong export markets globally Dairy Products ~20% of U.S. milk, highest cash receipts in CA Domestic supply and export of cheese, milk, butter)
So in other words you wrongly assumed I was in the US and that my tomatoes would therefore likely be Californian.
Wellllll. Cali provides about 30% of the world’s tomatoes. So maybe. Almost 1 of 3 tomatoes in the world come from here.
It’s a bit more nuanced. If you’re in North America, it’s more likely than not that you’ll have a Californian tomato. If you’re in Asia, it’s probably Chinese. If you’re in Europe there’s a lot of clout for Italian tomatoes, but you’ll probably see a lot of local produce front and centre, with maybe some budget options from another country or in the off-season.
But ultimately water shortages in Cali are going to have little effect on Europe. Prices on the shelve are so far removed beyond cost that a global market price rise caused by the shortage won’t have a massive effect on the price consumers pay - we’re already paying as much as they can get away with charging, at this point it doesn’t really matter much what excuse they use to raise the price because they were already planning to do that anyway.