Cento San Marzano's fake? Ingredients Discuss Cento San Marzano's fake? in the Brick Oven Cooking forums; I have never used San Marzano tomatoes, so I'm not sure what they look like. But when I opened a ...

[jimkramer]

I have never used San Marzano tomatoes, so I'm not sure what they look like. But when I opened a can of Cento's, with the DOP seal, I found small, perfectly round tomatoes with the skin on. I'm pretty sure they are cherry tomatoes, not San Marzano. Should the real ones be more oval shaped?

[krosskraft]

Check the label carefully with those......I have seen them look very similar but be labelled like "Italian tomatoes" or something like that. They actually sell both I think.

[jimkramer]

These specifically have a large "San Marzano" and "D.O.P" certified" on the can.

[acbova]

I bought a can, I will try to use it for pizza soon and give a report.

[jimkramer]

I contacted the importer. Here is their reply. I guess I'll give them another chance before I report them to the Better Business Bureau.

Please allow me to apologize for the inconvenience and unfortunate situation you experienced with our Cento San Marzano Tomatoes.

We believe a few cases of the tomatoes were mislabeled in error by our manufacturer while switching over product on the production line. Therefore, we are sorry you were disappointed with your recent purchase.

I assure you this was a rare incident where product was mislabeled. Rest assured, we have notified the producer and advised our own quality assurance department to monitor this item more closely.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. In appreciation, we would like to send you a complimentary replacement, cents-off coupons and a copy of our recipe booklet. In order for us to send the replacement by U.P.S., we will need your home mailing address.

Again, please accept our sincere apologies.

[ttriche]

The Better Business Bureau is useless. They are there to placate angry consumers. If you want to straighten out an importer, file a complaint with the FTC. It's cold, but charging $5/can for fake goods is not cool.

I hope it was an honest mistake on their part. My experience with Cento canned San Marzano tomatoes is that they are better than others I have tried, and are plum shaped.