Tomato sauces presented as “Italian” allegedly come from the forced labor of Uyghurs in China

The Uyghurs behind so-called “Italian” tomato sauces? Since 2020 and an investigation by New York Timeswe know that the Uighurs, an ethnic minority in Xinjiang (China), are subject to forced labor policies, in particular to make surgical masks which were then purchased by France.

A new investigation, this time from the BBC, tends to prove that the forced labor of this population and other Muslim minorities is also used to cultivate tomatoes used to make Italian sauces sold in Europe.

A confirmed origin

To achieve this result, journalists Mike Rudin and Sarah Buckley carried out significant work analyzing transport data for 64 tomato purees sold in the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. At the same time, they had the Australian company Source Certain analyze the profile of the tomatoes used in these products by comparing the trace elements absorbed by the fruits.

In this way, they argue that the Italian company Petti would have received between 2020 and 2023 nearly 36 million kilos of tomato paste from Xinjiang. The results of Source Certain analyzes confirm that 17 of the 64 products studied contain tomatoes of Chinese origin. Among the purees containing Chinese tomatoes, we find 50% products from Petti.

Overwhelming testimonies

Petti is a company that is part of a large group specializing in tomato processing in Italy. Their purees are then used in the products of many Italian brands, as well as those of several supermarket brands, such as Lidl. In detail, transportation data showed that the tomatoes received by Petti were sent by the Xinjiang Guannong company and its subsidiaries. They then traveled by train through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia before being shipped to Italy.

As a reminder, China provides around a third of global tomato production. They are mainly grown in the Xinjiang region, where this so-called “re-education through labor” program is taking place, financed by the government and leading to forced labor of these Muslim minorities. All 14 people interviewed by the BBC claimed to have suffered or witnessed forced labor in the tomato fields of Xinjiang, with much violence. For its part, China has denied the existence of these forced workers in the tomato industry.