Strained tomatoes were put to the test at Öko-Test. The result is frightening.
Frankfurt – Passed tomatoes are the basis for many delicious dishes. Apparently, this does not apply to the contents of some products. Öko-Test took a closer look at tomato passata from various manufacturers. In addition to inexpensive discounter and supermarket products, the experts also examined more expensive organic brands – with a frightening result: moldy tomatoes are used in every fifth passata. Organic products in particular are contaminated with the harmful metabolites of toxic mold.
Öko-Test found “elevated” levels of mold toxins in strained tomatoes six times. In some products, the values are even “greatly increased”:
- Rewe Bio Passata
- Bio Zentrale Tomaten Passata
- San Fabio Passata Di Tomato Klassisch von Penny
In addition to moldy tomatoes, the experts also found harmful pesticides in passata jars. Chlorfenapyr is found in the Mondo Italiano Tomato Passata product from Netto. This pesticide is on the list of the world’s most dangerous pesticides and has been banned in Europe for a long time.
Passed tomatoes at Öko-Test: Some products contain pesticides
But that’s not all: in addition to chlorfenapyr, traces of six other pesticides are also found in the product. For comparison: conventional products contain traces of a maximum of two pesticides. However, residues of two pesticides can also be found in one tested organic product: the Bio Passata Natur from dm.
However, some products also performed better. Öko-Test rated 17 of the 50 tomatoes “very good”. Customers don’t have to dig deep into their pockets to get usable quality. In addition to organic brands such as Alnatura, the test winners also included supermarket and discounter products from Edeka, Lidl, Netto and Co. Among others, the following products ended up among the test winners:
- Organic tomato passata from Netto
- Organic passata from Edeka
- Freshona Bio Organic Strained Tomatoes from Lidl
Some conventional products also received the overall rating “very good”:
- Finely strained tomatoes from Edeka
- Good & cheap tomatoes happened by Edeka
- Freshona Passed Tomatoes from Lidl
- Yes! Passed tomatoes from Rewe
If you use tomatoes from your own cultivation as ingredients, you can make sure that the vegetables are not moldy. An expert gives tips on ideal tomato cultivation. (Jan Wendt)
