French media reported that Chinese tomatoes and tomato sauce have quietly entered Europe on a large scale, relying on immense production and low prices. Some countries have reduced their imports out of concern for their own industries collapsing, but China continues to do business with some European countries that do not grow tomatoes.
In Italy, tomato sauce is considered a kind of faith. A chef at a restaurant in Rome needs at least 20 kilograms of tomatoes every day for multiple traditional dishes. The chef said, “Tomatoes are used in every dish, such as the sauce for tomato bacon pasta, quickly made fresh tomato sauce with meatballs. Each dish has its own sauce, cooking method, required tomato variety, and of course, its unique taste. Italian cuisine cannot exist without tomatoes.”
However, the symbol of Italian cuisine, tomato sauce, came close to falling under Chinese control. In 2021, Chinese tomatoes and tomato paste flooded the European market at extremely low prices and with labor suspected of exploitation, quickly gaining a foothold in the market, often deceiving consumers.
In that year, Italy faced a scandal when the police discovered a batch of tomato sauce in a warehouse in Tuscany region, of which 1/4 was not produced in Italy as indicated on the label. In 2024, a BBC investigation reported that some “Italian-made” tomato paste in European supermarkets might actually come from Xinjiang, China, and be linked to forced labor.
According to a report by Franceinfo, to prevent related industries from collapsing, European countries sounded the alarm and began taking actions. The industry attempted to distance itself from China, leading to a significant drop in imports from China within a few months, plummeting by 67% across Europe and 76% in Italy alone.
Italian food manufacturer “Mutti” emphasizes transparency and quality in production, conducting tests every hour. CEO Francesco Mutti stated that stringent production standards help resist the onslaught of Chinese products.
He believes that consumers can distinguish quality, are willing to spend more money on real goods, and want to know where the products come from and who manufactures them.
However, the influx of Chinese tomato products into Europe has already had an impact, including in France.
In November last year, the French consumer magazine “60 Millions de Consommateurs” revealed that out of 5 tomato paste products labeled as coming from Italy, as many as 4 contained tomatoes possibly from China. The implicated brands claimed to have been deceived by their suppliers.
The price of Chinese tomato products is about half that of Italian products, still attracting some countries that do not produce tomatoes.
André Bernard, a French tomato producer and chairman of the Tomato Industry Association (Sonito), said, “In the market where cheap products are sold, the Chinese have found another path different from Italy’s, which is in northern European countries such as Poland, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany, where they do not grow tomatoes but manufacture tomato sauce or other condiments.”
The report concluded by highlighting that as tomato sauce and other condiments are processed products, manufacturers are not required to label the source of the ingredients, leaving consumers in the dark about the true nature of the products.
(Courtesy of Central News Agency)