Could This Shortage Impact Disney World Food Prices?

Food shortages are no joke, and they have affected Disney World over the past several years.

Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella

There was a ketchup shortage that even impacted the famous ketchup stunt at Whispering Canyon Cafe. A noodle shortage temporarily took those famous ‘Ohana noodles off menus. There was even an issue with Skittles at Disney World. Now, another shortage could potentially affect food prices at Disney World.

So here’s the thing: tomatoes may soon be in short supply. According to NBC News, farmers in California are having issues planting tomatoes because the soil is too wet from all the rain the state recently received. The tomato season has already been pushed back by three weeks, which could create a shortage situation this summer.

Tomato Soup from BoardWalk Deli

The farmers DO have a plan to make up for the shortened season, though. Some are just planting MORE tomatoes than usual. But because planting is delayed, that still could be too little too late.

In an interview with NBC News, one farmer named Aaron Barcellos, who owns A-Bar Ag Enterprises, said, “I don’t think anybody is very optimistic about what our yields are going to be this year. You can definitely walk into a store and not see your favorite sauce. You can see increased prices on consumers for ketchup and salsas and other tomato products.”

Roma Tomato Bruschetta

To make matters worse, there was already a tomato shortage due to the drought that plagued California in previous years. That, combined with the flooding this year, means that tomatoes and tomato products could cost a little more, even in Disney World.

Oak Grilled Tomatoes at Boma

So think about it — tomatoes are in a LOT of foods in Disney World restaurants, including ketchup. In the parks and resorts, there are salads with tomatoes, loads of tomato soups, tomato sauce on pizzas, and more. If tomatoes are in short supply, we could see some of those tomato-filled items go up in price.

Pizza with tomato sauce

Of course, we make sure to keep up with ALL the menu changes in Disney World restaurants, and if those prices do change, we’ll be sure to let you know. But we wanted to give you a heads up in case you might be wondering WHY some prices could potentially go up, so stay tuned to DFB for more!

Disney dining changes are a lot to keep up with! We’ve done all the research for you in writing our DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining! We’ve got details on EVERY dining location at Walt Disney World inside our eBook – and it’s easy to download to your tablet or smartphone to take with you on your next trip. Use our discount code for DFB readers – WDW2023 – for 25% off!

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Have you seen any indication of a price increase for tomato products where you live? Let us know in the comments!