Tomato fraud? Lawsuit against tomato product company alleges false tomato branding
A class-action lawsuit alleges Cento Fine Foods falsely branded its products as containing 'Certified San Marzano' tomatoes.Summary
A proposed class-action lawsuit filed in California claims that Cento Fine Foods, a popular Italian food distributor, committed "tomato fraud" by falsely marketing its products as containing "Certified San Marzano" tomatoes. The lawsuit alleges that the tomatoes in Cento's products lack the taste, consistency, and physical characteristics associated with authentic San Marzano tomatoes. San Marzano tomatoes are a variety of plum tomato known for their intense and sweet flavor and have been granted protected status by the European Union. Cento Fine Foods has dismissed the claims, stating that the lawsuit is "entirely without merit" and vowing to "defend this claim vigorously." The company noted that it has previously successfully defended a comparable lawsuit in New York federal court.
(Source：Baltimore News)