News
In a press release dated 11 May, the Northern Italy Industrial Tomato Interprofessional Organisation, which monitored tomato-related payments among operators in the Northern Italian tomato supply chain during the 2025 season, announces that all payments have been completed in accordance with the regulations and were made within the legal deadlines by processing companies to agricultural producer organisations (APOs) and by the latter to their producer members.
With this in mind, and in accordance with the provisions of the Northern Italy Framework Agreement signed on 27 March, the producer organisations and their associated processing companies have drawn up the contracts for processing tomatoes for the 2026 season and have filed them with the OI to verify their compliance with the commitments set out in the Framework Agreement. During the season, these contracts will form the basis for monitoring the actual quantities and quality of produce delivered.
Data collection for stock levels has begun
For the first time in 2025, data on stock levels – expressed in terms of fresh tomato equivalent – held in industry warehouses as at 30 June and 31 December was collected, with a view to building up, over time, a significant time series to support production planning.
Finished products 2025
In accordance with the provisions established by the IO members in the Shared Rules, at the end of the 2025 season, the OI Pomodoro da Industria Nord Italia collected and processed data relating to products obtained from the primary processing of over 3 million tonnes of fresh tomatoes grown on approximately 45,000 hectares and processed in the 28 operational plants in the area.
The season, which began in mid-July and lasted approximately three months, resulted in the production of:
- tomato sauces (1%).
- tomato pulp (39%)
- tomato purée (33%)
- tomato concentrate (27%)
The Northern Italy Industrial Tomato IO highlights how production has gradually shifted towards higher value-added processing. In particular, the proportion of tomatoes used for tomato purée has risen from 23% to 33% over ten years, confirming Northern Italy’s position as the leader in this segment. Tomato purée is produced exclusively from tomatoes harvested in the region’s fields and delivered fresh to processing plants, as required by Italian legislation since 2005.
Around 93% of processed tomatoes come from integrated production and 7% from organic production.
Tomato purée is also the main finished product in the organic segment.
The main sales channels have remained fairly stable over time, albeit with some fluctuations over the years:
- Retail 29%
- Industry 50%
- Horeca 21%
Given these figures, Northern Italy remains Europe’s largest production region for processing tomatoes, and its Interprofessional Organisation is calling for the requirement to indicate the origin of tomatoes in finished products – as stipulated by Italian law – to be extended across Europe, for the benefit of consumers, farmers and industries that operate in compliance with regulations and uphold transparency.
Source: OI Pomodoro da Industria Nord Italia
