Two California residents are suing Cento Fine Foods, alleging the company engaged in "tomato fraud" by claiming that the tomatoes in one of its canned products are the authentic "San Marzano Certified" version from Italy.
The plaintiffs claim that Cento's "Certified San Marzano" labeling is "false, misleading and unfair," alleging that the product lacks an official designation from an Italian tomato authority. Cento's tomatoes also lack the quality and taste of real fruit, the plaintiffs said in the lawsuit.
In "the way Champagne can only be produced in the Champagne region of France, real San Marzanos can only be grown, processed and canned in a specific region of Italy," the lawsuit states.
New Jersey-based Cento Fine Foods did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On the tomato cans and on the company's website, Cento says its San Marzano tomatoes are certified by an independent third-party agency called Agri-Cert. The lawsuit alleges Cento's labeling suggests the product has an official DOP designation, a label granted to San Marzano tomatoes by an Italian consortium that stands for "protected designation of origin."
Cento's label designs are used to "falsely convey they are the famous San Marzano tomato grown in the traditional method and certified by [the] Consortium," the suit alleges.
The consortium, known as Il Consorzio di Tutela del Pomodoro San Marzano DOP, promotes and regulates the sale of San Marzano tomatoes, which the suit states must meet "strict production and quality standards."
Cento says San Marzano tomatoes come from the town that bears their name in the Campania region of southern Italy. The tomatoes have a "thicker tomato wall, fewer seeds and less acidity than other tomatoes, making them ideal for authentic Italian cuisine," according to Cento, which claims to be the only U.S. company with a production facility in the region.
Cento customers can also trace the exact field where the tomatoes in their product were grown by scanning the lot code on their can, according to the company's website.
The suit isn't the first time Cento's tomatoes have been called into question. A 2019 lawsuit filed in New York alleged the manufacturer doesn't produce as many San Marzano tomatoes as it claims.
I was legitimately shocked seeing this in the Happenings. Cento has always been like, the brand of canned tomatoes every chef I know and watch uses. However, I'm betting this is just semantics like the article also points out. Just because they're not real San Marzano tomatoes picked fresh off the vines in Italy doesn't make it less good.
Not sure why anyone would be surprised that there's an entire organization dedicated to verifying the quality of tomatoes and where they were grown. The instruction book for how to inspect cabbages being imported into the USA is 28 pages long.
Loathe as I am to say it, Californian olive oil is solid nowadays. They've got a consortium running to certify domestic vs. imported oil. Quality has been good in my experience, albeit kinda pricey compared to Tunisian olive oil.
"Dey fucka wid my tomatoes? Oi. Get Gianni Guillotine and Breaker Bronno, we gonna teacha dem an old Sicilian game of 'Pop goes da weasel' and da weasel is kneecaps. Nobody fuckas wid the Bonnezelli Tomato familia, thinka of my sweet old mama, her heart would be a broken!"
This, 100%. Sneed!Mama used to be a gardener and even though I don't like tomatoes, I could taste the "sweetness" in her cherry tomatoes (when you got past the "watery salt" flavor)
This website has a thread about Tomato fraud. You know if you told me when I joined this site that there would be articles and threads about Tomato fraud I just flat out wouldn't have believed ya...
Signs and wonders, I guess. But I think once you stop hearing "sir" or "ma'am", Tomato fraud is soon to follow.
Italy's tomato industry is notoriously dodgy. A lot of it is run by the Mafia and has been for decades. I first saw it referenced in the excellent (but grim) Italian film Gomorrah, which is a fictionalised account of the Camorra. Those guys make garden variety Mafioso look like kindergartners.
Given that Cento is based in New Jersey, I wouldn't be asking too many questions or making too many accusations regarding the provenance of their product.
Was taught at a young age to never buy the big brand name canned tomatoes. Cento, Hunts, whatever. The white label, store brand generics were the ones you always wanted. The quality difference was visible just by cutting open the top and looking at the color. Night and day difference. Now I can't say if this is true everywhere you go but it's been my consistent experience in the NE USA for years and years. Stop and Shop, Tops, Hannafords, smaller chain/independent stores, and other big ones I'm forgetting.
and people wonder why I grow my own tomatoes for sauces and such. You just can't beat fresh picked
That said, funny how california will get pissy about tomatoes being sold as something they are not yet defend illegals pretending to be american citizens. Those are some interesting priorities california has going on there
funny how california will get pissy about tomatoes being sold as something they are not yet defend illegals pretending to be american citizens. Those are some interesting priorities california has going on there
It gets even better when they get pissy about tomatoes and grapes but fuck the almond farmers because "eeeernnnhhhh almonds are a thirsty plant"
Yeah okay Karen enjoy not having that almond milk latte, squeeze a few San Marzanos in there eh
In "the way Champagne can only be produced in the Champagne region of France, real San Marzanos can only be grown, processed and canned in a specific region of Italy," the lawsuit states.
I don't mind yurop protecting their industry. It's not economically sound but if the agricultural mafia is demanding it, I get it. But let's not pretend there's any science or evidence behind it.
