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How Long Do Tomatoes Last?

How long do tomatoes last? The shelf life of tomatoes depends on the date picked or purchased since there is usually no sell by date, use by date or best before date attached anywhere to tomatoes. Scientifically speaking a tomato is a fruit, but when used in culinary terms the tomato is considered a vegetable. There's nothing like tomatoes straight from the garden, but most of us must rely on stores for our fresh fruits and vegetables. Tomatoes are a great source of phytonutrients which help keep the skin elastic to slow down aging and anti-oxidants to protect against damaging radicals.

So, how long do tomatoes last past the purchase date? When properly stored, the shelf life of tomatoes past their date purchased is approximately...

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Tomatoes Expiration Date

	Counter	Refrigerator
Fresh Tomatoes last for	1 Week	2 Weeks
Canned Tomatoes last for	1 Year - 18 Months (Unopened)	7 Days (Opened)

Of course, all foods last for a shorter period of time if they are not stored properly.

How to tell if Tomatoes are bad, rotten or spoiled?

Practicing proper hygiene and food safety techniques will help prevent foodborne illness.

Fresh tomatoes will begin to get soft and then may leak liquid when they are going bad. They may also begin to mold, at which point they have gone bad and you will want to throw them out.

Another problem you may experience with having fresh fruit on the counter is the sudden presence of fruit flies. Fruit Flies are tiny little flies that just hover around your fresh fruit basket. So, how do you get rid of fruit flies? To get rid of fruit flies, place a bowl of water with a teaspoon of vinegar in it next to the fruit basket at night. In the morning, all the fruit flies should have taken their final swim in the bowl.

There are, of course, certain health risks associated with spoiled foods so always remember to practice food safety and enjoy your foods before their shelf life has expired!

How to store Tomatoes to extend their shelf life?

If you are using your tomatoes in the near future it is best to leave them out of the refrigerator. But, keeping them in the refrigerator drawer marked for fresh produce will help to extend their shelf life slightly but they will still wither over time. Tomatoes can also grow mold (mould), in which case they should be tossed.

There are many varieties of tomatoes including grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and plum tomatoes. Plum tomatoes seems to last a little longer than all the rest because they have a firmer meat.

Some benefits of proper food storage include eating healthier, cutting food costs and helping the environment by avoiding waste.

How long are Tomatoes good for when prepared in a dish?

How long do fresh tomatoes last? That depends. How long does salad last? In general, fresh fruit is usually one of the quickest expiring ingredients in the dish that you've prepared.

What are our shelf life resources?

In determining how long Tomatoes lasts, our content incorporates research from multiple resources, including the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Food & Drug Administration. In addition, we scoured the web for informative articles and reports related to food safety, food storage and the shelf life of Tomatoes.

*An important note about expiration dates...

Although the Tomatoes shelf life information on Eat By Date is generally reliable, please remember that individual cases will vary and that our advice should only be taken as an opinion and not a replacement for your health care professional. Please eat responsibly!