Grocery store tomatoes: Are they actually any good?

I’ve noticed that almost every tomato in the grocery stores lately seems to have these tiny, identical puncture marks. It feels too consistent to be an accident, so I did some digging, but nobody could give me a straight answer—other than the theory that they're injecting them with ripening agents (to speed things up or slow them down?). HOW HEALTHY IS A TOMATO LIKE THAT, 🙂 🙂 🙂 if anyone actually knows the deal or where to find some real info, let me know. THANKS😈 😈

So you're wondering if those tomatoes from the local supermarket are actually any good for you? 😂 😂

Here's the deal: they aren't healthy at all. 😬

Zachary Williams66 said:I’ve noticed that tomatoes at big-box retailers and grocery stores all seem to have these tiny little puncture marks on them. It doesn't look accidental. I tried asking around, but nobody would give me a straight answer—they just hinted that they inject some kind of ripening agent to control the process. I WANT TO KNOW HOW HEALTHY THESE TOMATOES ACTUALLY ARE. 🙂 🙂 🙂 If anyone actually knows what's going on or where to find the truth, let me know. THANKS.😈 😈

Store-bought tomatoes aren't healthy, and they never will be.
The only tomato worth eating is the one you grow in your own backyard—when you're certain nothing was sprayed on it or "enhanced" just to make it look pretty or last longer. It’s like those shady vendors at farmers markets who might use antifreeze (!) on lettuce just to keep it from wilting... it stays "fresh" longer, sure.

But who cares if antifreeze is toxic?

Look, I don't even touch tomatoes, so whether they're packed with nutrients or whatever, I really couldn't care less, and when it comes to my greens, I pretty much stick to the local farmers' markets where I actually know the growers, because honestly, you've always got to take a gamble with food these days, isn't that just how it works? Nothing out there is truly "healthy" anymore, but I guess some things are still slightly better than others if you're looking for that silver lining.

Just think about it for a second... how many tomatoes are we even talking about here? You'd need an army of people just to grab every single one and inject it with a syringe. I mean, seriously, can you imagine the sheer cost of a logistics nightmare like that?

Besides, if there's a tomato out there the size of my head, there's no way it's actually healthy unless it’s packed with some crazy GMO cocktail or something.

I absolutely love tomatoes and I grow them all the time, but honestly, I haven’t noticed a single bite mark from any kind of bug on mine 😲 ...are you being serious right now? Because if you are, I am heading straight to the fridge to check my own stash

Everything you said is spot on. Honestly, nothing beats the taste of a tomato you grew in your own backyard. As for those little bruises, it’s probably just because the crates were packed too tight—the stems end up digging into the fruit and leaving those marks behind.

They inject a ripening hormone into these tomatoes. Without it, they’d still be green on the inside. Those water-logged, spongy things are basically just pumped full of liquid to hike up their weight at the scale.
There are certain chemicals sprayed on them at least a week before harvest. I can't recall the specific name offhand—I'll have to look it up. If you bite into a tomato and it tastes chemical, bitter, or just plain wrong, toss the whole batch immediately. It usually means they were harvested before the mandatory waiting period ended, leaving residue behind.

So, how do you spot a healthy tomato? A real tomato has a punchy, intense aroma. You really notice it when you slice into it. That scent is unmistakable; you can't fake it. And once you cut it open, the flesh should be firm, not some watery, spongy mess that leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

My grandmother’s been growing these pink tomatoes lately—they aren't the standard red kind you see at Whole Foods 😁. I suppose it just comes down to the specific heirloom variety she picked out 😬. Honestly, they don't look particularly appetizing to me
.

Jeffrey Cruz59 said:My grandmother grows these pink tomatoes (they aren't cherry tomatoes). It probably just depends on the variety 😁 . Honestly, they don't look particularly appetizing to me 😬

Oxheart. Just one specific type of tomato. They tend to grow quite large.

Believe me when I say the absolute worst tomatoes are the ones you pick up from those "local farmers" at the roadside stands..
I suppose our local small-scale farmers—especially those elderly folks at the rural markets—don't have the slightest clue about modern production technologies. It seems their entire strategy is just to dump as much fertilizer as possible onto the soil to make sure the produce looks "pretty and green." They spray everything haphazardly, too; if they see a neighbor doing it, they’ll just grab whatever pesticide is nearby or follow some questionable advice from a half-literate clerk at a local farm supply store....
I actually went out into the field to see the process firsthand, and honestly? NO THANK YOU!

The produce you find in major supermarket chains comes from highly controlled environments managed by actual professionals. Everything goes through specific quality checks to ensure it meets established standards and nutritional norms. All these wild conspiracy theories about hormones or fish genes are just fairy tales for children and the uneducated masses who clearly don't understand anything about agricultural science or biochemistry.

And this applies to pretty much everything; I really can't help but mention the fresh cheese and cream sold at those little market stalls.
Once I saw the conditions where that cheese was being made—the barns were a disaster, cows standing knee-deep in manure, flies swarming all over the kitchen area... ugh, it honestly made my stomach turn. Since then, I exclusively buy Tillamook fresh cheese. At least I know it was produced under sanitary, hygienic conditions.

They’re aware of the difference, but once they reach a certain size, they lose that aesthetic appeal and take on a pretty bizarre shape. I've already grown accustomed to the ones you find at the local Whole Foods that are so tough you can barely get through them with a knife 😁 and honestly, it’s the exact same story whether you pick them up at a high-end grocery store or just a neighborhood market. At least, it is in my experience.

slygull92 said:once I caught a glimpse of the conditions where that cheese was actually being made—the stalls, cows standing knee-deep in waste, flies swarming all over the kitchen... honestly, it turned my stomach, so now I stick strictly to Tillamook fresh cheese. At least I know they maintain decent hygiene standards there.

That doesn't necessarily mean the big brands are any healthier. Personally, I can't bring myself to eat that kind of mass-produced stuff, but back when I was a kid, I used to love trying it whenever my neighbor's grandmother would offer some, mostly because I'd seen firsthand how they raised their cows on nothing but pure straw.

slygull92 said:Trust me, those tomatoes you pick up from some old lady at a roadside stand are the worst thing you can eat..
Small-town farmers here (especially the older folks) don't have a clue about modern production tech. They just dump as much fertilizer as possible on everything to make it look "pretty and green." They spray pesticides haphazardly too—just picking whatever they see a neighbor using or taking advice from some half-literate clerk at a local farm supply store....
I’ve actually been out in the fields and seen how they work firsthand—NO THANK YOU!

Produce in big-box grocery stores comes from controlled commercial farms run by actual experts. It goes through quality checks and meets specific nutritional standards. All this talk about hormones and fish genes is just fairy tales for people who don't understand agricultural science or biochemistry.

That applies to everything, including the "homemade" cheese and cream you find at farmers' markets.
Once I saw the conditions where that local cheese was being made—the barns were filthy, cows standing knee-deep in manure, flies swarming the kitchen... ugh, it made my stomach turn. Now, I only buy Tillamook fresh cheese. At least I know it's produced in a hygienic facility.

Tillamook cheese is still made from those same cows standing in muck, and the milk is probably crawling with flies, except they pack it with preservatives like E330 and God knows what else just to make it shelf-stable. If you ask me, I'd rather eat natural manure than synthetic poison. Nobody gets cancer from farm dirt, but plenty of people get sick from these artificial additives!

And as for the tomatoes, the ones in the supermarkets are treated with every chemical under the sun. Because if they were grown naturally, they wouldn't all look perfectly identical, and the same goes for apples. An apple isn't truly good unless there's a chance of a worm in it. Worms won't touch toxic fruit!!! So, you decide: do you want the organic apples with worms, or the "perfect" supermarket apples grown in a lab?

Morgan Williams4 said:Nobody’s getting cancer from eating organic produce, but plenty of people are getting sick from all those synthetic preservatives!

As far as those tomatoes you see in the local Walmart or Kroger goes, they get treated with just about everything under the sun. I mean, if they were actually grown naturally, there's no way every single tomato would look absolutely flawless and identical, right? And the same thing applies to apples. Honestly, an apple isn't even good if it doesn't have a worm in it. Because a worm isn't going to touch fruit that's loaded with toxins!!! So, I guess it's up to you: do you want to eat wormy, natural apples, or those perfectly shaped ones grown in some highly controlled lab environment!!!

"Everything under the sun"... alright then, since you're such an expert, why don't you list exactly what they use on those tomatoes... and explain specifically why those substances are bad for the human diet...
It's all those various preservatives labeled as E-numbers—or whatever the American equivalent is—that you ingest every single day when you drink a Coca-Cola, chew some Orbit gum, sprinkle seasoning on your food, or grab a hot dog, some deli ham, or a can of soup. Nobody ever makes a huge scene about that stuff...

And regarding this talk of treating crops with "poisons," do you really think grandmothers out in their backyards aren't spraying things? The difference is, they don't have a clue about the proper dosage or timing, unlike the professional production technicians.
Maybe you should try growing your own vegetables in your backyard without spraying or fertilizing them even once, and then we'll see how high-quality and long-lasting your harvest actually turns out to be...

My other grandmother grows some tomatoes—nothing massive, just a little garden patch. I have to say, they’re decent enough, though they definitely lack that perfect supermarket shape. They don't need any chemical sprays either. Usually, when I drop by, I just help her out by lugging the watering can around to keep them hydrated... To be fair, they aren't always a deep, uniform red, but they're fine...

edit: As for those ones you see at the local farmer's market, I wouldn't be shocked if some vendors added a little something extra to prevent rot or whatever else might set in.

Look, I’m not talking about those grandmas who just grow a few tomatoes in their backyard for themselves and their grandkids... obviously, there isn't any pesticide used in that scenario. If they rot, they go in the compost; if they look good, they get eaten, and that’s the end of it.

What I am actually talking about are those elderly folks selling produce at the local farmers' market... now, that is a completely different story. Their whole mantra seems to be, "Oh, I wouldn't dream of eating my own stuff..." As long as they can squeeze a little extra cash out of those meager Social Security checks, they don't care. They'll let anyone eat whatever they want; the fact that the crops were sprayed with chemicals just two days ago doesn't seem to matter to them, as long as it carries that "homegrown" label.

slygull92 said:to everyone and anyone... look, if you're such an expert, tell me exactly what they use on those tomatoes... and why those additives are bad for us...
It's all sorts of preservatives labeled as E-numbers... stuff you swallow every single day when you grab a Coke, chew some Orbit gum, sprinkle seasoning on your food, or eat hot dogs, deli meat, or instant soup. Nobody seems to lose their mind over that stuff.

And regarding this whole "poison" thing—you think grandmas in the countryside don't spray their crops? The difference is they have no clue how much or what to use, whereas industrial food technologists actually know what they're doing.
Try growing your own veggies in your backyard without using a single drop of pesticide and see how high-quality and long-lasting your harvest actually is...

Maybe they spray, but way less than they do in those massive commercial greenhouses overseas. Besides, they force those tomatoes to grow fast under UV lights, especially during winter. They hit them with various chemicals just to get that perfect red color. Honestly, I don't know exactly which "poisons" grandmas use, just like you don't. And why are they bad for you? Because they cause cancer! It used to be rare, but now it’s an epidemic. I mentioned that Boeing 737 because people say it's carcinogenic. That's actually just synthetic citric acid. Ever since that email went out about it, nobody bothered to call it a lie, but companies like Coca-Cola suddenly scrubbed the label and just wrote "citric acid." Makes it sound more natural, right? You can't avoid it entirely, but it's worth dodging whenever possible!

slygull92 said:I’m not talking about those grandmas growing tomatoes in their backyard just to feed the grandkids... obviously, that stuff isn't sprayed with chemicals. You just toss the rotten ones and eat the healthy ones, simple as that.

I’m talking about those grandmas who grow stuff just to sell at the market... that's a whole different story. Their motto is basically, "Oh, I'm certainly not eating that myself." As long as they can squeeze some extra cash out of those tiny Social Security checks, who cares? Let anyone else deal with the consequences. If it was sprayed with pesticides just the day before, that's nobody's problem—as long as it's labeled "homegrown."

The stuff you see at farmers' markets is basically the same junk they stock in big-box retailers like Walmart. The only difference is that suppliers can't always guarantee a steady flow of inventory to the massive distribution centers, so they offload the surplus at the local stalls instead. Then the middleman swoops in to flip it for a profit. Honestly, I don't think those classic old ladies who used to haunt the market even exist anymore!

Morgan Williams4 said:The truth is, I have no idea which specific pesticides those grandmas are spraying, much less you.

And why on earth would you assume I’m clueless?
I actually graduated with an agronomy degree and spent nearly five years working in the field, which involved a massive amount of site visits where I saw just about everything there is to see.
I honestly shouldn't even get started on what's actually being used in rural American farming or within the supposed "organic" industry here.
I've seen enough to know that I’d rather grab my produce at a Kroger than some local roadside stand. At the end of the day, it’s all about personal choice. You go ahead and buy from the old lady on the corner; I'll stick to the greenhouse stuff...