Burger King has been fighting with tomato pickers in southern Florida for two years, refusing to pay a penny more per pound. Now the burger chain has announced that they may simply buy their tomatoes somewhere else.

From Marketplace:

Just after Thanksgiving, the Florida tomato pickers held a large rally outside Burger King headquarters in Miami.

Now it’s surfaced that three weeks later, BK sent a note to suppliers saying it may no longer buy tomatoes from southwestern Florida.

Spokesperson Keva Silversmith says the letter is just a normal part of the company’s planning.

Keva Silversmith: Our contingency planning is based on a variety of issues, a freeze being one of them, hurricane issues, which are always an issue, as well as a possible labor conflict.

McDonald’s and Yum! Brands (KFC, Taco Bell, etc.) have already agreed to the one penny increase. To avoid southern Florida, Marketplace says that Burger King will probably have to buy their tomatoes from Mexico.

A cent too far for Burger King [Marketplace]
(Photo:Morton Fox)

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