91%
Tomato yields 91%
You buy tomato by its whole weight, but you only plate 91% of it. That 9% loss is real cost the invoice never shows — here's the math.
Yield is the fraction of an ingredient that actually reaches the plate after you clean, peel, and trim it. What you pay is the AP (as-purchased) price; what it costs on the plate is the EP (edible-portion) price.
Cores, seeds, and stems are the loss; very little goes to waste here.
Say your invoice shows $2.40 per lb of tomato (an example AP price).
At 91% yield, your real cost is $2.64 per lb EP — because $2.40 ÷ 0.91 = $2.64.
AP price is illustrative; the EP figure is computed (AP ÷ yield). Use your real invoice price below.Yield breakdown
| As-purchased (AP) | 100% |
|---|---|
| Edible portion (EP) | 91% |
| Lost to trim | 9% |
Source: CIA Standard Yield Tables.
Common questions
What is the yield of tomato?
Tomato typically yields 91% edible portion of its as-purchased weight, per the CIA Standard Yield Tables.
How much tomato is lost to trim?
About 9% of the as-purchased weight is lost to cleaning, peeling, and trimming before it reaches the plate.
How do you calculate the edible-portion cost of tomato?
Divide the as-purchased price by the yield: EP cost = AP price ÷ 0.91. At 91% yield, the trim makes your real plated cost meaningfully higher than the invoice price.
Market readconfidence low · as of 2026-07-16
About $21.63–$24.88/carton (wholesale reference), down -4% over the recent window.
Higher than 0 of its last 26 weekly reads — near the bottom of its recent range.
Cheapest in Los Angeles (~$17.50), priciest in Baltimore (~$24.50).
Hold. Inside its usual range — nothing to do.
Enter your price to compare it against this public wholesale reference.
One pricing methodology backs the level, but week-to-week prices are jagged, so the trend isn't firm.
Sources · 2
Sourced: CIA Standard Yield Tables, via the Plate Cost Calculator · what yield means · edible portion