[mobertol]

Wouldn't want to put you off the tinned tomatoes Sue but those cultivated in fields are picked while still green basically as they are harvested by machine and can't be naturally ripe. They are sprayed a day before with chemicals to make them turn red and they are still hard as bullets so the machine doesn't squash them which is what would happen if they were ripened in the sun.This way also they can be harvested without the risk of any rotting from the first to the last field.
The machine has a sort of electronic eye which refuses any tomatoes which are not red enough!
Back to the take-aways ...I was also surprised at how many supermarket home-brand ready meals are available -M&S was packed with people buying them -I suppose they are an easy option for those living alone or working odd hours...