California Residents Sue Cento Fine Foods Over 'Certified San Marzano' Tomato Labeling

Two California residents filed a lawsuit against Cento Fine Foods, alleging the company does not use real San Marzano tomatoes in one of its canned products. The plaintiffs claim that Cento's "Certified San Marzano" labeling is false, misleading and unfair. They allege that the tomatoes in the product lack the quality and taste associated with real San Marzano tomatoes.

Cento Fine Foods is based in New Jersey. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On its website, Cento Fine Foods states that its San Marzano tomatoes are certified by an independent third-party agency called Agri-Cert.

The lawsuit alleges that Cento's labeling suggests the product has an official DOP designation. DOP stands for 'protected designation of origin' and is a label granted to San Marzano tomatoes by an Italian consortium. The consortium is known as Il Consorzio di Tutela del Pomodoro San Marzano DOP.

The consortium promotes and regulates the sale of San Marzano tomatoes. San Marzano tomatoes must meet strict production and quality standards according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that Cento's label designs are used to falsely convey they are the famous San Marzano tomato grown in the traditional method and certified by the Consortium.

Cento states that San Marzano tomatoes come from the town that bears their name in the Campania region of southern Italy. Cento describes San Marzano tomatoes as having a thicker tomato wall, fewer seeds and less acidity than other tomatoes, making them ideal for authentic Italian cuisine.

U.S. Company with a production facility in the San Marzano region. Cento customers can 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. CBS News reported that the suit isn't the first time Cento's tomatoes have been called into question.

A 2019 lawsuit filed in New York alleged that Cento does not produce as many San Marzano tomatoes as it claims. CBS News reported the details of the current case, which centers on whether consumers are being misled about the authenticity and quality of the product they purchase.