When it comes to jams, low price is not necessarily synonymous with poor quality — and the Altroconsumo test on 19 apricot jams demonstrates this quite clearly. The laboratory analyses, supported by a blind tasting with consumers in Milan and Bologna, returned a complex picture, with some positive surprises and at least one case that causes discussion.
The most inconvenient fact is that 13 out of 19 products contain pesticide residues. None exceeds the legal limits, so there are no alarms in terms of food safety. However, Altroconsumo applies stricter criteria than the simple regulatory threshold: in the final evaluations it penalizes products in which substances classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, toxic for reproduction or suspected of interfering with the endocrine system appear. A more demanding yardstick, which had a significant impact on the positions in the rankings.
The best buy? It’s at Eurospin
Of all the surprises in the test, the most interesting one for those who shop with an eye on their wallet concerns the Puertosol Eurospin Extra Apricot Jam, which wins the title of Best Buy with 73 points. Laboratory analyzes did not reveal any pesticide residues, the quantity of fruit corresponds to what was declared on the label and the price is among the lowest of the entire test. A result that dismantles the cliché according to which to eat well you must necessarily spend more: in this case, the discount product beats many more expensive competitors in the field.
Who gets on the podium
In first place goes Rigoni di Asiago Fiordifrutta Organic Apricots with 86 points and the title of Best of the Test: organic, with a high fruit content and without any residue detected. Second place for Vis extra apricot jam (82 points), which also won the title of Consumer Choice thanks to the results of the tasting. Third place, with the title of Best Buy, went to Puertosol Eurospin Extra Apricot Jam (73 points): no pesticide residues, fruit in the quantity declared on the label and one of the lowest prices of the entire test. Followed by, with 71 points each, Alce Nero Apricots 100% Organic and Terre d’Italia Extra apricot jam.
An element that is worth underlining: among the products found to be free of residues there are not only organic ones. Eurospin and Terre d’Italia, both large-scale retail brands, come out clean from the analyses. In short, quality and price do not always go in the same direction — and those looking for a reliable product without spending a lot have more than one valid option to choose from.
The Esselunga case
The most discordant note of the entire test concerns a single product. Esselunga Apricot Extra Jam declares on the label 55 grams of fruit for every 100 grams of product, but laboratory analyzes found only 41. A value lower not only than what is indicated by the manufacturer, but also the minimum threshold of 45 grams required by law for extra jams. The product ends up in last place in the ranking, penalized by what to all intents and purposes appears to be a misleading label.
How much fruit is there really?
Beyond the Esselunga case, the general picture on the quantity of fruit is quite reassuring. Almost all the products tested exceed the minimum reference for extra jams, including those marketed as normal jams or simple apricot-based preparations. A signal that, at least on this front, the market is behaving substantially correctly.
