Pizza Quest Globe

Let the Buyer Beware!

Written By John Arena
Friday, 08 April 2011 Guest Bloggers

Lately I’ve been thinking about “counterfeiters.”  More specifically, I’ve been thinking about a Latin saying that dates back to the early 1500’s, Caveat Emptor, or, “Let the buyer beware.” In this era, more than any other, it has become crucial that we understand what is truly behind the labels on the products that we buy. Unfortunately this is especially true of Italian products.  With global awareness creating unprecedented demand for Italian food items the door has swung open for all sorts of deception and outright fraud.

Here is something to think about: The country of Italy is roughly the size of Arizona. Italy has a food based culture. Plain and simple, the Italians can consume much of the highest quality goods they produce themselves, and they are willing to pay top dollar for these products. This has created an opening for unscrupulous exporters to repackage all sorts of inferior products and sell them as top quality Italian-made goods. Recent seizures indicate that there is a good chance that the “DOP San Marzano” tomatoes you bought last week, complete with official looking serial numbers, were actually grown in China! Hundreds of thousands of cans have been discovered headed for the European and North American market.  You may have spent big bucks for Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil that was actually pomace mixed with almond oil and shipped in tankers to Puglia from North Africa. Of course this deception is not exclusive to Italy. In the past year the Chinese have discovered that roughly half of the highly prized Canadian Ice Wine they consume is a locally made fake.

So how do we insure that we are getting what we pay for? The short answer is… you can’t. When there is this much money to be made criminals are often a step ahead of the law.
I have found that the best way to protect yourself from label fraud is to disregard the labels completely! My advice is forget DOP, IGT, VPN, DOCG and the whole alphabet soup of supposed indicators of origin and quality. Ignore what is on the package and concentrate solely on what is in the package. In the end taste is subjective and the only thing that really counts is whether or not you enjoy the flavor of the finished product.

I have been conducting blind taste testing of tomato products in my restaurants for over 10 years and the results are illuminating. In blind tests 95% of my customers prefer high quality California tomatoes to DOP San Marzano tomatoes. I have had similar results with Mozzarella and with “00” flour. What is particularly interesting is that 90% of our guests assume that the preferred product is the Italian import. That is the power of Italy as a brand. Certainly the top quality foods of Italy are an almost ethereal experience, but the truth is you may find a great olive oil from Greece or Spain that is comparable, but for a fraction of the cost. Put hype aside, trust your palate, evaluate objectively, and you can determine if the product you are buying is worth the price. Remember that in the end you are going to eat the food, not just read the label.

Comments

Tomato Man

RIGHT ON!

Tomato Man

2 days after reading John’s column we presented our tomatoes to a consultant hired to select ingredients for a new pizzeria/italian restaurant still being built. The tomatoes were hardly out of the can before he dismissed them for not being Italian San Marzano. Wanted to tell him attributes of California Grown: consistency, quality, domestic jobs, carbon footprint…. but his mind was made up.
Later I looked up the menu for the restaurant he currently runs and there it was…San Marzano Tomato Sauce.
Caution…don’t box yourself in. Taste the product. Ask the price. Know who stands behind the product. Buy American when possible. At least you know where to find us!

peter

Rob,
How do we find you? Does your brand have a name and how do we obtain them?

Jason Raducha

DiNapoli products rock! I have eaten countless cans of tomatoes from all over the world, and his California grown tomatoes are amongst the best! I am going to have to say I have not had a better tomato in a can then Rob’s. I will let him tell you about the one I’m talking about. A great tomato for pizza sauce he offers is called Ground Tomatoes in Puree. Thick, full bodied. I would put it up against 7/11 any day.

Jason Raducha

John. Great article. It’s amazing how many owner/operators have no idea about half of the stuff you are talking about. Thank you for taking the time! People need to learn that they add value to themselves, and their brands by saying NO. No to conforming to what other people say. Not enough use their taste buds.

1 2

Add Comment

Pizza Quest Info

Resources

Vision Statement

Pizza Quest is a site dedicated to the exploration of artisanship in all forms, wherever we find it, but especially through the literal and metaphorical image of pizza. As we share our own quest for the perfect pizza we invite all of you to join us and share your journeys too. We have discovered that you never know what engaging roads and side paths will reveal themselves on this quest, but we do know that there are many kindred spirits out there, passionate artisans, doing all sorts of amazing things. These are the stories we want to discover, and we invite you to jump on the proverbial bus and join us on this, our never ending pizza quest.

Peter’s Books

American Pie
Artisan Breads Every Day
The Bread Bakers Apprentice
Brother Junipers Bread Book
Crust and Crumb
Whole Grain Breads

...and other books by Peter Reinhart, available on Amazon.com