No more Chinese tomatoes: Mutti proposes a European duty on imports to save Italian puree

Francesco Mutti, CEO of the company of the same name, is calling on the EU to impose a 60% tariff, or completely block imports of Chinese tomato paste. A concrete way to protect Italian production from unfair competition

In Italy for some time competition from the Chinese tomato is at the center of a heated debate, farmers and national producers have been denouncing unfair market practices for years now. The issue is mainly linked to imports of tomato paste from China, sold at significantly lower prices than the Italian one.

A significant problem given that, while Italian producers face rigorous regulations, Chinese imports enjoy reduced costs. However, the issue is not just an economic one, it also concerns compliance with environmental and social regulations.

But how to protect the made in Italy tomato? He intervened on the issue Francesco MuttiCEO of the well-known food canning company, contacted from the Financial Times.

Via the British economic-financial newspaper, the entrepreneur has launched an urgent appeal to Brussels to protect our local production from Chinese competition which puts the “dignity of the Italian tomato” at risk and threatens the future of our country’s farmers.

To address the problem, proposes the introduction of a 60% duty on Chinese products or, alternatively, the blocking of importsa move similar to that taken by the United States which banned imports from Xinjiang in 2021 due to human rights violations.

Mutti said:

We should stop the import of tomato paste from China or add a 60% tax on it so that its cost is not so different from that of Italian (products).

The context of Chinese competition and the human rights alarm

As we were already saying, at the center of the debate on the Chinese tomato there is not only the economic issue and unfair competition but also an environmental and social problem. Environmental because the tomato produced in China has less stringent regulations but also because, as the UN commissioner for human rights has documented, it is produced in violation of some regulations, including the one against forced laborin this case of Uyghur minority.

However, Beijing denies this issue, calling the accusations a “lie” used to weaken China. The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated in this regard:

It is hoped that relevant European people and institutions will recognize the malicious schemes behind the so-called ‘forced labor’ lie, refrain from damaging China’s image, and not use this as a pretext to implement trade protectionist measures.

Protecting the Italian tomato is essential

According to the World Processing Tomato Council, China is estimated to account for about 23% of global tomato production in 2024, up from 18% in 2023.

According to the Nottingham Rights Lab, around 13% of China’s total tomato paste is shipped to the EU, particularly Italy, where it is further processed, diluted or mixed with local tomato products and then repackaged, mainly for export.

It is important to remember that the laws of our country on the labeling of food products, prohibit the marketing of diluted Chinese tomato paste as puree. The risk of fraud, however, is around the corner, you will all remember the Petti scandal from a few years ago: Chinese tomatoes alarm: what do Italian purées have to do with it? All the historical scandals (between imports and risk of fraud)

According to Mutti (and not only), the arrival in Italy of these low-cost products undermines the competitiveness of the Italian sector. The disparity in production costs creates a context of “environmental dumping”, where Italian farmers are forced to meet high standards, while Chinese production escapes similar restrictions.

Mutti is keen to underline that, without protective measures, Italy could lose its agricultural heritage in favor of a cheaper production modelbut less sustainable. In fact, the risk is that many Italian farmers will transfer their activities abroad, reducing the value of national production and lowering the levels of quality and environmental sustainability.