An especially devastating hurricane season in Florida has caused long-lasting effects for other areas, including tomato shortages throughout much of the country.

Extensive damage to crops has affected Pennsylvania's tomato supply, leaving many local stores paying more for lesser-quality produce.

"Basically the prices are way up and the quality is way down," said Ben Johnson, assistant manager of Jimmy John's, 320 W. College Ave. "They're like $60 a case, up from $18."

Johnson said the price increase has affected business.

"Our inventory numbers are not as good," he said. "It's noticeable."

Jimmy John's isn't the only business dealing with price increases. To cut down on expenses, Wendy's restaurants throughout the state have stopped serving tomatoes unless customers request them specifically.

Kelly Grimes, co-owner of a central Pennsylvania line of Wendy's, said the restaurants were badly affected because Florida supplies most of the chain's tomatoes during this time of year.

Robert Spinazzola, produce manager of Altoona-based produce company W.S. Lee & Sons, said the company supplies produce to more than 100 State College businesses. Most of its supply comes from Florida and California, like the rest of the country during this time of year, he said.

"In the produce industry, when the [produce costs] are high, that's when you get the worst quality," he said. "Right now, they're throwing anything in a box."

Spinazzola said the hurricanes destroyed the crops that were planted and ready to produce fruit, which left a crop yield of less than 50 percent.

Ray Gilmer, Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association public affairs director, said that a rainy harvest season in California and a pest problem in Mexico also worsened the shortage.

"This [year] is dramatically worse," he said. "It's a sort of triple whammy that Mother Nature has dealt the tomato market."

Spinazzola said prices are dramatically higher than they have been at this time in the past.

"I've never seen it this bad for this long, and I've been in the produce business for 25 years. This was at least for four to six weeks, and it did reach $50 to $60 for a box of 25-pound tomatoes," he said, adding that the box normally costs between $10 and $14.

However, Spinazzola said the market will be settling down because new crops in Florida are now ripe. This week, the price should come down to about $35 per box, he said, but probably won't return to normal until next week.

Grimes agreed that Wendy's has gotten through the worst of the situation.

"The quality has gotten a little bit better. We think this week we're getting a new crop," she said. "By the end of the week, we hope to have them on every sandwich like we always did."

Not all the local restaurants have been experiencing difficulties. Several local restaurants, including Taco Bell, said their supplies are fine.

"We don't purchase as many tomatoes as some of our competitors do," Taco Bell spokeswoman Sally George said, "so we haven't had a supply issue."