Research Brief: Consumers Will Pay More for Better Color, Flavor in Tomatoes
November 26, 2025 
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A recent study, published in AgriLife Today, combined sensory analysis with economics to determine what consumers are willing to pay for specific tomato attributes.
Samuel D. Zapata, Xavier A. Villavicencio, Thiago G. Marconi, and Carlos A. Avila, four Texas A&M researchers, evaluated four tomato varieties: two new varieties adapted to South Texas growing conditions (TAMU Orange and TAMU Red), a commercial check variety, and tomatoes imported from Mexico. In blind sensory tests, 180 participants sampled, rated, and valued the attributes of all tomato varieties, with “willingness to pay” responses collected using a payment card elicitation approach.
The study was conducted in Hidalgo County, Texas, during March and April 2019—a strategic time given South Texas’s competitive advantage to produce tomatoes during the off-season market window, when tomato prices are typically higher. The researchers focused on consumers’ preferences for external appearance, color, flavor, and texture attributes.
The study showed that consumers are willing to pay a higher price for TAMU Red tomato varieties based on color (about 15 cents more per pound) and TAMU Orange tomato varieties based on flavor (about 13 cents per pound) compared to imported tomatoes.
This research approach addresses an importantl gap in tomato breeding and production. While flavor hasn’t historically been a major breeding goal, consumer complaints have made taste quality increasingly important. The study’s methodology—combining blind tasting with monetary value—provides growers and breeders with concrete data on how color and flavor can command premium prices.
For more information about the study, go here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/agr.21977.