Anyone distinquish between the 'Bouncing Beefstake,' bred to withstand a fall of 1 meter intact, and an heirloom tomato which survived the decades by its superior taste.

Commercially, the standard (here in the States) Beefstake is grown because one plant will produce 8 lbs (~3.75 kilos).  Heirlooms cannot compete on a per-plant/output basis.  The Beefstake tastes like rubber but people have to buy the damn things because that's all there is.

This is slowly changing as produce and meats that have taste and flavour (zounds!) enter the market.