Tomatoes will be ready for marketing immediately after harvesting. While tomatoes are classified as highly perishable vegetables, they take about three to four days kept at room temperature, and can take more than a week under refrigeration. They are also ready for factory processing after they have been cleaned. Tomatoes can be canned in a processing plant and will be stored for long period of time. Tomato paste is the product that will be produced from fresh tomatoes and can be stored for a long period of time in a can which is air tight. Canned tomatoes could have a varying time of shelf life depending on the intended use.