A woman shows three varieties of medium-size and mini tomatoes which are put on sale targeted mainly at young women.
A Tokyo-based firm has developed various varieties of medium-size and mini tomatoes which include five times as much proline and lycopene as large-size tomatoes. Both components have skin quality improving effects, as proline is a main component of collagen and lycopene suppresses formation of melanin, a cause for spots and freckles.
Pioneer Ecoscience Co., a seed company, started selling a package of three varieties in June, targeted at women who care highly about the quality of their skin. The firm was expected to hold a sales promotion campaign in Tokyo on Saturday, September 14, and Sunday, September 15, together with Tokyo City Seika Co., a fruit and vegetable wholesale dealer at Tsukiji Market.
The package, named the “three sisters for beautiful skin,” includes three kinds of medium-size and mini tomatoes – San Marzano Reserva, Sicilian Rouge and Rosso Napolitan ? all containing components considered to be good for the skin.
The package has been sold on a trial basis in some supermarket stores, and attracted attention of customers, especially young women, who showed interest in the tomatoes’ characteristic of improving the quality of skin.
“Until now, the tomato market has been priced based on the color, shape and size of the products, but the aging society has made consumers pay more attention to taste and health effects,” said Sumio Shugame, director for product development at Tokyo City Seika. “We hope to actively promote such farm products.”
The 250-gram package is priced at around 400 yen. For inquiries, call Pioneer Ecoscience at 03-3438-4731.
(Sept. 11, 2013)