Italian tomato preserves: labels and legal requirements

Italian tomato preserves: labels and legal requirements

The  decree of September 23, 2005 of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies establishes the minimum quality requirements and the quality criteria for products derived from tomato processing, in implementation of law 154/2016. Production, product and labeling requirements for the different types of tomato preserves, as described in the following paragraphs.

Whole tomatoes, peeled and unpeeled

I peeled tomatoes are distinguished as 'elongated varieties whose ratio between height and largest diameter of the fruit is greater than 1.5 with a 10 percent tolerance’ (law 154/2016, article 24).

I whole tomatoes, peeled and unpeeled, must be ‘obtained from fresh, healthy, ripe fruit and well washed and must meet the following minimum requirements’:

• color characteristic tomato red;

• odor and flavor characteristic of tomato, without foreign odors and flavors;

• absence of larvae, parasites, parasitic alterations, necrotic spots extending to the pulp and sensitive stains of other nature;

• drained product weight not less than 60% (in the case of peeled tomatoes) or 55% of the nominal net weight (56 and 52%, respectively, for those with capacity < 500 ml);

• whole or otherwise such as not to present lesions that modify the shape or volume of the fruit for at least 65% of the drained weight;

• only peeled tomatoes, average skin content (with dimensions ≥ 5 mm) not exceeding 3 cm2 per 100 grams;

• pH not exceeding 4.5;

• lactic acid not exceeding 1% of the dry residue net of added salt.

The  dry residue, net of added salt, is not less than 4% (6% in case of addition of concentrated tomato juice, or tomato concentrate). A specific mold limit is also established (determined with the Howard microscopic method).

The  only ingredients that can be added to whole tomatoes are:

1) water;

2) tomato juice;

3) concentrated tomato juice;

4) concentrated tomato;

5) table salt, including iodized (

6) natural spices, aromatic herbs and their extracts, natural flavors;

7) additives authorized pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1333/08 (decree 23.9.05, Annexes A and B).

Chopped tomatoes

I Chopped tomatoes must in turn be obtained exclusively from fresh, healthy, ripe fruit and well washed and have the same minimum requirements established for whole tomato preserves, with the following variations and additions:

• drained product weight not less than 50% of the nominal net weight;

• when the label of such products bears the words «peeled», «without peel» or equivalent, they must have skin residues (with dimensions ≥ 5 mm), not exceeding a total of 12.5 cm²/100 g net product, determined on at least 5 containers;

• for products such as  fine pulp, rustic pulp, extruded pulp and similar, obtained from previously peeled tomato but subjected to a fine grinding process, the presence of skins need not be determined (decree 23.9.05, Annex C).

Tomato concentrate and its types

For 'tomato concentrate' means 'products obtained from extraction, refining and possible concentration of tomato juice classified by dry residue. (…) The subsequent transition from one dry residue to another by adding water or further concentration is allowed’ (law 154/2016, article 24).

The four types of concentrate – to which the appropriate correspond legal denominations of which the following – are distinguished by the different minimum levels of dry residue (net of added salt):

• «semi-concentrated tomato», dry residue > 12%;

• «simple tomato concentrate», > 18%;

• «double tomato concentrate», > 28%;

• «triple tomato concentrate», > 36%.

The above-described products must have the following minimum requirements:

• red color, characteristic smell and taste of the product obtained from healthy and ripe tomatoes, free from strange smells and tastes, particularly burnt or caramel flavors;

• visible absence of foreign plant substances, except for residues of tomato seeds and skins;

• total acidity, expressed in crystallized monohydrate citric acid, not exceeding 10% by weight of dry residue, net of added salt;

• volatile acidity, expressed as acetic acid, not exceeding 0.4% by weight of the dry residue, net of added salt;

• mineral impurities not exceeding 0.10% of dry residue net of added salt;

• sugar content, expressed as inverted sugar equal to at least 42% by weight of the dry residue, net of added salt, and in any case not less than 40% if the acidity ratio does not exceed 8.5;

• appropriate mold limits;

• pH not exceeding 4.5;

• lactic acid not exceeding 1% of the dry residue net of added salt.

If the presence of  skins and/or seeds  exceeds 4% of the weight of the finished product, the products must report specific denominations. The  Salt added must not exceed 2% of the net weight.

I only permitted ingredients in the concentrate, in addition to tomato juice, are:

• table salt (sodium chloride), also iodized;

• natural spices, aromatic herbs and related extracts, natural flavors;

• additives authorized under Regulation (EC) No. 1333/08 (decree 23.9.05, Annex D).

Dehydrated tomatoes

The ministerial decree of 23 September 2005 also establishes specific quality standards for Dehydrated tomatoes, defined as ‘products obtained by removing constitutional water, until reaching residual moisture values allowing stability even in non-hermetically sealed containers’ (law 154/2016, article 24). They are distinguished into three categories:

• tomato flakes or tomato flakes. ‘Product obtained from tomatoes, cut in various ways and partially deprived of seeds, dried by removing water content using physical means until a dry residue in the oven not less than 93%’;

• tomato powder. ‘Product obtained from tomato concentrate, dried by removing water content using physical means until a dry residue in the oven not less than 96%, or from grinding tomato flakes’;

• semi-dry or semi-dried tomatoes. ‘Products obtained by partial removal of water content using only hot air tunnels without added sugars’ (decree 23.9.05, Annex E).

Origin labeling

The decree of August 11, 2017 by the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies has introduced provisionally theobligation to indicate on the label both theorigin of the product, and the provenance of the tomato used in the production of its preserves, including tomato purées, as well as sauces and condiments containing at least 50%.

The labels of such products – when produced and marketed in Italy – must therefore clearly display, in a prominent place on the package, the following statements:

• «Country of tomato cultivation»: name of the country where the tomato was cultivated;

• «Country of tomato processing»: name of the country where the tomato was processed.

The sole wording «Tomato origin» may be used, as an alternative to the two previous ones, where the tomato has been entirely grown and processed in a single country. If tomatoes come from multiple countries, the label may refer to ‘EU countries’, ‘non-EU countries’ or ‘EU and non-EU countries’, as applicable. These indications must be placed and be easily readable.

Conclusions

The sector of Italian tomato preserves is facing significant challenges related to  unfair competition of products made in other countries that exploit the reputation of ‘Made in Italy’ through the so-called ‘Italian sounding’. It is therefore essential to share not only the value of authentic Italian productions in terms of biodiversity, productive and cultural tradition, but also in terms of quality subject to legal requirements and the rigorous standards described above.

Dario Dongo

References

• Decree 11 August 2017.  Indication of origin on the tomato label. Official Gazette of the Italian Republic no. 265 of 26 February 2018. https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2018/02/26/18A01366/sg

• Decree 23 September 2005.  Regulation of the production and sale of certain tomato-derived products. Official Gazette of the Italian Republic no. 232 of 5 October 2005.  https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/atto/serie_generale/caricaDettaglioAtto/originario?atto.dataPubblicazioneGazzetta=2005-10-05&atto.codiceRedazionale=05A09437

• Law 28 July 2016, no. 154. Delegations to the Government and further provisions regarding simplification, rationalization and competitiveness of the agricultural and agri-food sectors, as well as sanctions concerning illegal fishing. See article 24. Normattiva (Last update to the act published on 12/09/2022). https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:legge:2016-07-28;154