Italian food distributor Cento Fine Foods accused of ‘tomato fraud’ in $25M lawsuit

Two Californians have filed a $25 million lawsuit against Italian food distributor Cento Fine Foods, alleging that the company is committing "tomato fraud" by falsely claiming its products contain San Marzano Certified tomatoes. The plaintiffs argue that the company's marketing and labeling of its "Cento San Marzanos" as "Certified San Marzano" tomatoes is misleading because the products lack the taste, consistency, and physical characteristics associated with genuine San Marzano tomatoes. San Marzano tomatoes are a protected variety under the European Union's Denominazione d'Origine Protetta, and a consortium controls their sale to ensure they are grown in the correct region. Cento voluntarily stopped seeking certification in the 2010s due to labeling requirements, but the lawsuit claims this created an erroneous impression that the tomatoes are of equivalent quality. The company states that its tomatoes are certified through a different third party, Agri-Cert, which is approved by the EU. Cento's attorney has called the lawsuit "entirely without merit" and stated that the company will defend the claim vigorously.

(Source：Action News Jax)