Missions

AMITOM at the heart of the processing tomato sector

Inter-agency relations, collection and circulation of information, organisation of congresses, agronomic and technological research, national and international projects, participation in writing international standards, promotion, etc.
AMITOM is at the heart of the processing tomato sector

Establish and nurture international relationships

To set up permanent links between the bodies representing the industry in each member country. Regular meetings are organized between the delegations of the member countries.
AMITOM is also keeping close links with other countries, notably through its membership of the World Processing Tomato Council (WPTC).

Collect reliable information about the sector

To collect from its members and other sources reliable information on the situation of the tomato processing industry worldwide. For this mission, the collection of crop forecasts, through regular survey amongst members, are precious indicators.

Ensure the flow of information between all players in the sector

To ensure the exchange of information amongst everyone involved in the industry. Besides the exchange between its members, AMITOM launched the bilingual monthly magazine Tomato News in 1990. It remains the major shareholder of the a free information website launched in 2018 which is recognised as the best source of information for and about the global tomato processing industry.

Gather with world congresses and symposium

AMITOM initiated the creation of the World Processing Tomato Congresses by organizing the first congress in Avignon (France) in November 1989. The 14th World Processing Tomato Congress was held virtually in March 2022 and the next one will take place in Budapest (Hungary) in June 2024. The congresses are organized in cooperation with WPTC, ISHS and local partners.

Encourage agronomic and technological research

To encourage research on agronomy, nutrition, health and general quality of tomato products. To this effect, AMITOM is keeping close links with a network of research scientists and has coordinated or taken part in many collaborative research projects.

Increase consumption of tomato products

To increase the consumption of tomato product through generic promotion activities has been one of the association’s aims since its creation.

Participate in writing international standards

The association participates in the writing up and harmonization of international quality standards within the Codex Alimentarius, through WPTC’s recognition as an NGO.

Since its creation in 1979, AMITOM has coordinated or participated in many research projects in the fields of agronomy, technology and health benefits of tomato products, including:

LYCOCARD: The Role of Lycopene for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular diseases, along with cancer, are the main mortality causes in Europe and other developed countries. Lycopene is a plant pigment found in high concentration in red fruits, especially tomatoes – Europe’s second-most important crop. Strong correlative evidence suggests that lycopene may provide important protection against cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

However, these two aspects – lycopene content of tomatoes and lycopene’s beneficial effects – have not been sufficiently linked because research has often lacked a “total food chain” approach. The missing links in the chain are the development of healthy new foods and nutritional guidelines. There are also many details regarding bioavailability, metabolism, and molecular mechanisms of lycopene biological activities that were still unknown.
LYCOCARD investigated the role of lycopene in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, adopting a “total food chain” approach by addressing each link in a “farm to fork” approach. AMITOM was a partner in this Integrated Project funded by the European Union within the 6th Research Framework Programme (IP16313) which started in April 2006 and ended in March 2011.

The Tomato Foundation, an organization set up to encourage more research on the health benefits of tomato products and promote consumtion is an offshoot of the project.

FLONUDEP: Promoting supply chain joining the sustainable development through a decision making tool combining three key elements of the fruit and vegetables market : environmental durability, nutritional quality, socio-economic aspects

The FLONUDEP project aim was to create and test a method to evaluate a food supply chain on the bases of three major concerns which can affect sustainability: environment, nutritional quality and social and economical dimensions. For that, the approach of life cycle analysis (LCA) was employed for the first time on these three criteria all along the tomato supply chain, chosen as a model, from the farm to the consumer, via processors and distributors.

This project created a decision-making tool having two objectives: to serve as a guide to any professional for an efficient organization of its food supply chains and to be a discussion topic between the participants to these chains, and thus providing them with concrete indicators for all levels of the supply chain. The tool created for tomatoes can be adapted to all fruits and vegetables supply chains.

The project consortium was multidisciplinary:

scientific, with collaboration between various research units (IAMM, CIRAD, INRA, CNRS and Universities with specialized experts);
dissemination and transfer with AFNOR;
cooperation with the supply chain with SIF, SNIFL, BRM, AMITOM.

For more information: flonudep.iamm.fr

Final report: ici