Tomato Supply Chain and Production Quality Control for International Markets

In addition to being one of the most important Italian horticultural crops, tomato is also one of the most cultivated in the world. Due to its organoleptic and nutritional qualities, it plays a central role in the Mediterranean diet; therefore, the demand is high both from the fresh market and as a raw material for the processing industry. There is a wide range of industrial derivatives, such as peeled tomatoes, purées, concentrates, juices, and, just from the processing of tomatoes, a sector of extreme importance in the Italian manufacturing scene has arisen, the canning sector. Tomato pulp, purée, and peeled tomatoes represent the main categories of industrial derivatives, of which the commercial importance of exports should be noted, both to Europe (Germany, France, and the United Kingdom) and to other countries (Asia, United States, Japan, and Oceania). According to Istituto di Servizi per il Mercato Agricolo Alimentare (ISMEA) data, over 60% of national production is destined abroad, equal to a market share of 13% of world production and 53% of European production. The processed tomato supply chain is controlled, certified, and oriented towards environmental sustainability. Therefore, it is in the interest of companies to enhance both the domestic and foreign markets the quality characteristics of the productions, characteristics linked to a specific territoriality, in order to incentivize the growth of consumption and consolidate the market. Quality productions currently protected include the Pachino Indicazione Geografica protetta (IGP) tomato, a typical fresh variety, as well as the Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio Dop and the San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-Nocerino Dop tomato, which is well suited for industrial processing. In a logic of safeguarding national peculiarities, the national origin of the product and traceability must represent for the canning companies in the sector, as well as a communication and marketing tool, above all a factor of competitiveness on international markets. For this purpose, control parameters are fundamental to discriminate between different cultivars and to enhance their typicality.