Two residents of California have filed a lawsuit against Cento Fine Foods, accusing the company of committing “tomato fraud” by marketing one of its canned tomato products as genuine San Marzano tomatoes from Italy.
The lawsuit alleges that Cento’s “Certified San Marzano” label is “false, misleading, and unfair,” asserting that the tomatoes used in the product do not possess the distinct quality or flavor typical of true San Marzanos.
Cento Fine Foods, based in New Jersey, has not yet provided a comment on the lawsuit.
According to the company’s website, their San Marzano tomatoes receive certification from an independent third-party agency, Agri-Cert. However, the lawsuit contends that Cento’s packaging implies an official DOP status, a designation that indicates ‘protected designation of origin’ and is assigned to San Marzano tomatoes by an Italian consortium.
The lawsuit claims that Cento’s labeling is designed to “falsely suggest” that the tomatoes are the renowned San Marzano variety, grown traditionally and certified by the Consortium.
The consortium, known as Il Consorzio di Tutela del Pomodoro San Marzano DOP, is responsible for promoting and regulating the sale of San Marzano tomatoes, which, according to the lawsuit, must adhere to “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.
