Due to the boycott from Italy, the export of Chinese tomato sauce has been blocked and stockpiled in large quantities. Italian companies have strengthened labeling of the origin of products and expressed concerns over the alleged use of forced labor in Xinjiang, leading to a significant reduction in the import of Chinese tomatoes by this European tomato powerhouse.
The Financial Times reported on Saturday (November 15) that according to Tomato News, a publication tracking the global tomato processing industry and trade, China currently has a stockpile of approximately 600,000 to 700,000 tons of tomato sauce, equivalent to about six months’ worth of export volume.
Tomato News pointed out that in the third quarter of 2025, China’s total export volume of tomato sauce decreased by 9% compared to the same period last year, with a 67% drop in sales to Western European countries and a 76% decrease in exports to Italy.
According to data from the Chinese customs, in the first nine months of 2025, China’s export value of processed tomatoes to Italy plummeted from over 75 million US dollars in the same period of 2024 to less than 13 million US dollars.
Estimates from Tomato News suggest that due to the sharp decline in European imports of tomato sauce, China’s tomato processing volume this year will decrease by more than half, expected to be only 3.7 million tons. In 2024, China processed 11 million tons of tomato sauce.
Tomatoes were introduced to China after the colonization of the Americas by Europeans, hence their alternative name “xihongshi,” meaning red fruit from the West.
Industry analysts note that in recent years, tomato cultivation and processing volumes in the Xinjiang region of China have significantly increased. However, the year-on-year decline in sales to key Western European markets like Italy has resulted in a surplus of Chinese tomato sauce.
In 2021, the Italian Carabinieri raided a large processing company and seized several tons of canned tomato concentrate. It was discovered that the company had added Chinese tomato sauce but labeled it incorrectly as “100% Made in Italy,” prompting concerns about the influx of Chinese tomato sauce into Italy.
The price of Chinese tomato sauce is less than half that of Italian domestically produced products.
In 2024, the Italian agricultural association Coldiretti launched a major campaign against the influx of Chinese tomato sauce into their domestic market.
The Italian tomato sauce giant Mutti stated that this was a campaign to defend the dignity of tomatoes. Its CEO, Francesco Mutti, called for a ban on importing tomato sauce from China into the European Union or imposing a 60% tariff on Chinese tomato sauce to protect the interests of Italian farmers.
Regarding the current difficulty for Chinese tomato sauce to enter the Italian market, Francesco Mutti told the Financial Times, “This is a significant victory, sending a very positive signal.”
Mutti is a family business with a 125-year history and is the largest tomato sauce producer in the region. The company manufactures products such as passata, pulp, and canned tomatoes. Francesco Mutti is the fourth-generation heir of the family.
Additionally, one of the reasons for the decline in tomato sauce imports from China to Europe is the forced labor of Uyghur people in Xinjiang.
Xinjiang is a major producer and exporter of tomato sauce in China. A large state-owned enterprise and quasi-military force, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, is responsible for most of the tomato-related production in the region and has been accused of using forced Uyghur labor. In 2021, the US banned the import of tomato sauce from Xinjiang due to concerns about forced labor.
Beijing has denied these accusations.
In a documentary aired by the BBC in 2024, several Uyghur individuals were interviewed, revealing their imprisonment and forced tomato picking by the Chinese government before these tomatoes eventually made their way into British supermarkets via Italy. This report prompted retailers to pressure Italian processors not to use Chinese tomato sauce.
Francesco Mutti also criticized his industry peers for using Chinese tomato sauce in counterfeiting. He stated that this scandal “caused a double blow,” lowering tomato prices while damaging consumer trust in Italian brands.