The service of “Le Iene” on fake Italian tomato

“When the Chinese tomato become Made in Italy”. This is the title of the service of Nadia Toffa aired during the episode of Sunday, September 27 and that left horrified the public of Italian television.

The tomato is now considered the symbol of Mediterranean cuisine, the food symbol of the South and healthy Italian kitchen. Yet, this product more often ends up being imported abroad. Much of the sauces that we consume every day are coming from China. A topic discussed by days in Italy.

Unfortunately peeled, ready-made sauces, ketchup are not subject to the same rules of some products such as fish, fruit and vegetables on which is necessary to bring the date of packaging, the origin and the type of farming. According to our law a product to become “Made in Italy”, it must have undergone substantial working in Italy; count that is only the last step of the production to be considered in all respects a product Made in Italy.

The Hyena Nadia Toffa interviewed in China the commercial directors of a large company of tomato paste, a concentrate that is sold in Europe and in Italy, and once arrived at the destination is diluted and used for sauces, the same who later they will report on the package marked “made in Italy”.

The leaders Chinese reveal that many organizations are involved. From North to South important companies sell Chinese products pretending to be Italian. They are not small amounts but about 60,000 tons. Furthermore, showed that tomatoes of some products in supermarkets are considered “blacks”, namely expired and damaged at least from two years.

For the protection of the true Made in Italy, is needed, in addition to strengthening customs controls, that the government emanates a law that imposes on ALL food canned the origin of the ingredients and raw materials.

Immediately after the broadcast, “Le Iene” invited all to sign an online petition “We want the REAL ‘Made in Italy'”.