From Tomato Waste to Paste: Unlocking the Upcycling Potential in Kenya’s Tomato Value Chain
Across Kenya, low-income families struggle to eat affordable, varied diets and particularly to consume the necessary volume of fruits and vegetables. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of metric tons of fresh fruits and vegetables go to waste in the country. Are there solutions to both problems?
Editor’s note: The following article was originally published on Agrilinks.
The journey of a tomato
On a sprawling farm in Kimana, Kenya, where every tomato plant receives equal attention and care, the fruits that emerge tell a different story. Despite being nurtured with the same resources; each tomato grows into its own unique form. Some tomatoes are perfectly round, while others grow in unexpected directions. A few bear small spots or signs of disease that make them less appealing to consumers.
At the first selection point, tomatoes that do not fit the ideal mold are cast aside. Their slight imperfections or irregular sizes seal their fate as food waste, as they are deemed unworthy of the market’s high standards. The second level of selection occurs upstream in Kimana’s open-air market, where less-than-perfect tomatoes are left behind while the perfect ones are stacked in 130-150 kg wooden crates, stacked in 10 MT trucks to travel to urban markets.
Finally, in Muthurwa, a downstream market in Nairobi, 200 km away from the farm, over 100 traders gather and bring in large volumes of tomatoes. Here, the tomatoes face yet another challenge. They must compete with fresher, newer arrivals, leaving the older, ripened ones to languish. In less than five days, many will become food waste.
Access to nutritious foods
Kenya produces an annual estimate between 683,000 – 1 ,000,000 MT of tomatoes, but an average of 32% are lost along the supply chain due to seasonality, pests and diseases, improper handling, lack of storage facilities, and high perishability.
The WHO reports that less than 2% of Kenyans meet the recommended 400g of daily fruit and vegetable intake, with an average of 140g consumed per person daily. Seasonal availability and price fluctuations limit access, especially for tomatoes. Glut seasons occur in June-August and January-February, lowering prices and improving access. Off-season shortages lead to higher prices, with low-income consumers using bouillon cubes and paste as a substitute. This was established in the human-centered design phase, where we tested with consumers different concepts, including tomatoes that were dried, powdered, paste or sauce. Results showed most preferred fresh and tomato paste as a second choice.
The business case for upcycling food loss in Kenya’s tomato value chain
A robust business case is critical to effectively leverage the private sector for impact. TechnoServe is building a business case for upcycling Kenyan tomatoes by developing a supply and demand model, comparative case studies with learning from Egypt, Senegal and Nigeria and tracking the tomatoes from farm to market to ascertain the losses and potential to upcycle from upstream and downstream markets.
The design challenge for the program explores how to process the 32% of tomatoes that are lost along the supply chain annually, creating non-augmented, nutritious products used in the off season.
In 2022, FAO estimated that Kenya imported an average of 3,050 MT of tomato paste, worth $2.6 million. The country’s growing dependence on imported tomato paste, coupled with a third of total production volumes being lost annually, presents a compelling case for upgrading local processing infrastructure. TechnoServe research also indicates that local production of tomato paste is estimated to be 13% more cost-effective than importing.
These factors informed the justification for increased capacity investment and local market linkage for processors. By investing in local processing capabilities for tomato paste, Kenya can reduce its reliance on costly imports and exchange rate fluctuations. For example, production of 100% tomato paste requires industrial condensers. However, nearly all industrial condensers in Kenya have been directed to fruit jams/marmalades, which historically have had a greater profit margin. While a business case has emerged for tomato paste production, capital equipment currently limits market testing and full-scale launch.
Take action against food loss and waste
Taking lessons from African tomato production giants like Nigeria and Egypt may offer opportunities to shorten the learning curve. Facilitating capital expenditure for efficient equipment is going to be catalytic for food processors in low-income countries in reducing food loss and waste. This will enable the production of minimally processed foods, addressing the nutrition gap and improving food availability by enhancing local food processing capabilities.
The NutriSave program, implemented by TechnoServe with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), has a dual objective to reduce food loss and waste and improve nutrition in low-income communities. For more information on how to work with us, please contact Kenya’s country director Kris Ansin (kasin@tns.org) and NutriSave’s program director Carolyne Maina (cmaina@tns.org).
