A BBC investigation, building on tests by Australian origin verification company Source Certain, uncovered that numerous tomato purées marketed as Italian in US, UK, and German supermarkets actually originate from China. Of 64 purées tested, 17 contained Chinese tomatoes, with 10 of these produced by the Italian firm Petti. The investigation identified a Tuscany factory belonging to Petti with barrels labeled from "Xinjiang Guannong Tomato Products Co Ltd," a company sanctioned in the US for alleged forced labor. An undercover journalist for the BBC reportedly secured an admission from a Petti group manager that they sell Chinese tomatoes in Europe, despite market aversion.
Following these revelations, German supermarket chains Rewe and Edeka, and UK retailers Tesco, Waitrose, and Morrisons, either suspended or withdrew the implicated products. However, these retailers subsequently reported conducting their own independent tests which, they claim, contradicted the earlier findings and showed no evidence of Chinese tomatoes. Despite the retailers' disputes, the BBC's investigation specifically named products like Asda Organic Tomato Puree, Tesco The Grower’s Harvest, Morrisons Tomato Puree, and Essential Waitrose Tomato Purée as being among those likely to contain Chinese tomatoes.
The scandal has led to significant shifts in the tomato paste market. In the months after the BBC investigation, Italian processors reportedly reduced their imports of tomato concentrate from China by 76%. This created a surplus of 600,000 to 700,000 tonnes of tomato paste in China. While exports to Western Europe and Italy have drastically fallen, the surplus is now being absorbed by countries in Eastern Europe, Central America, and the Far East. Overall Chinese tomato production is also expected to decline significantly, with less than half the volume of tomatoes anticipated this year compared to 2024.
The broader implications extend to countries like Canada, where a CBC investigation found that major brands such as Nestle, Del Monte, and Unilever purchased tomatoes from Chinese companies in Xinjiang. These tomatoes were processed in intermediary countries like Pakistan, the Philippines, and India before being shipped internationally, often without explicit labeling of their Chinese origin. Whole Foods, after CBC's inquiries, pulled its 365 Double Concentrated Tomato Paste and cut ties with Petti. Italian authorities are now investigating Antonio Petti Fu Pasquale S.p.A. for allegedly misrepresenting foreign tomatoes as 100 percent Italian. The Canadian government has sanctioned Chinese officials over human rights abuses in Xinjiang but has not yet banned tomato product imports from the region. Origin labeling regulations, which often only require disclosure of the last country of processing, contribute to the complexity of tracing the true source of these products.
