What I’ve just learned this week about tomato ketchup and other tomato products makes me sick. It reminds me of the ongoing olive oil scam and learning of the long list of popular olive oils that failed the purity test.
Almost a third (31%) of the worldwide tomato supply comes from Xinjiang, although the Chinese call it “foreign eggplant” and don’t prefer it. As of 2017, China ranked first in worldwide tomato production. Dozens of countries now eat their GMO tomatoes (even with an organic label), including the UK, Australia, Germany, Russia and the U.S..
The documentary The Empire of Red Gold explains China’s role in the global tomato industry in shocking detail.
If we purchase store-bought tomato products, it’s likely we’re eating GMO Chinese tomatoes with undisclosed additives! 54 minutes.
China pays workers (including Uyghurs) for what they pick at a rate of 0.01 Euro per kilo, equaling half a penny for picking and packing a kilo (2.2 pounds) of tomatoes.
The tomatoes are genetically-modified to be extremely durable, which ensures they fall to the ground and do not bruise. If you throw one of these tomatoes to the ground, it does not burst but instead bounces. This benefits the low-income workers who are often women with babies strapped to their backs, or have their small children walking in the fields helping with the work. If the tomatoes are accidentally stepped on by a small child, it does not harm the tomatoes.
What A Scam!
The Empire of Red Gold shows how suppliers of tomato manufacturing equipment in Parma, Italy began the relationship years ago. The Italians taught the Chinese how to run the equipment and produce the tomato product. Silvestro Pieracci, former trader at Gandolfi Group says the deal was, “I give you the machines for production, you carry out your own production, and when you have finished, you give me the products to sell and recover the money for the machines that I have given you.”
What’s that White Substance They Add?
It is becoming more and more common for food to contain additives that are not listed on the ingredient list. When manufacturers use “industry standard” ingredient in their products, they do not have to list it on the ingredient list. This happens with tomatoes coming here from China.
At timestamp 39:00-40:45 in the documentary above, Ma Zhenyong, director of one of the biggest Chinese exporters was giving the producer of the film a tour of the facility when the producer saw a white substance going into the tomato sauce in large quantities. When asked by a translator to identify the substance, he said, “I cannot answer that. This is our recipe. I cannot talk about it. These additives are legitimate. We filed our recipe at the Chinese Goods Inspection and Examination Office. We only add what is filed there.”
The white powder is soybean, starch, and maltose (malt sugar) powder, used as a thickener, and possibly other ingredients.
Zhenyong said privately to the translator, “With regards to our production, 80% of the product is the raw material, tomato. In the remaining 20%, there is soybean, starch, maltose. The best thing is not to talk about the substances that are added.”
The producer says, “According to my information, some barrels of Chinese tomato concentrate contain up to 55% additives. It’s a method of lowering manufacturing costs since the additives are cheaper than tomatoes. The reason they can cut their products with soy is because of an agreement with their distributors. The entire production and distribution chain is complicit in this fraud. Only the consumer is fooled.”
For those of us with food sensitivities (corn or another unknown allergen), or those who care about the food they eat, these “Industry Standards” poses a real problem because there is no way of knowing what is in the food. Undisclosed ingredients likely are to blame for causing health issues in countless people.
[Excerpts from Weston A. Price article. More sources here, here, here, and here.]
Ketchup & Pasta Sauce Brands Coming From China
Basically, any food company can order Chinese grown tomato products and affix their own label. It is a process called Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).
The brands featured in this image (which was on the Tianz site) are surely coming from China, but the image has now been removed.
These companies can be verified as selling Chinese tomato products from the Tianz website. (click links to see the actual labels):
• Red Gold
• Gino
• Hunt’s ketchup and Del Monte (look closely at the thumb print images on the left in the link)
• 365 Whole Foods ketchup (the image has now been removed)
• Heinz ketchup (removed)
• Contadina (removed)
(UPDATE): Within a week of posting this article, this image of jarred marinara sauces (another of my screenshots from the Tianz site), was also taken down.
Please do your own research before buying these tomato products as seen in the image above. Sadly, separate pages on these specific products have been removed, (but I saw them with my own eyes):
• Lidia’s
• Newman’s Own Marinara and Bombolino
• Emeril’s
• Patsy’s
• Wolfgang Puck
I will keep updating the brands that say they use Canadian or CA-grown tomatoes:
• Annie’s Organic – California (and their 3 amazing BBQ sauces)
• French’s – Canadian
• Trader Joe’s organic – California
• Primal Kitchen – California
Do you know of others? Please share them in comments!
From me to you: Do NOT let the evil one destroy your faith and peace in the Lord! Fretting and worry only make us weak. Jesus is our only hope and always has been. Really, nothing has changed! Now when the rubber meets the road (SHTF), we must, all the more, not faint and continue to run to win the prize!
“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.“ ~1 Cor. 9:25
***For the Full Spike Protein Protocol to protect from transmission from the “V” and to help those who took the “V”, go here.
Deep Roots At Home now has a PODCAST! We are covering everything from vaccines, parenting topics, alternative medicine. Head over today and like, share and download a few episodes!
I’d love to stay connected with you, and here is one way…
Censorship is real. My Pinterest account was suspended; but surprisingly part of my main board is still available through this link, and it scrolls down a long way!
You can also find me on Facebook, Gab, MeWe, X (Twitter), Instagram, and look for me on IG Stories.
And please join me for my FREE newsletter. Click here.
©2026 Deep Roots at Home • All Rights Reserved
Julie
Jackie, I so appreciate the work you do to help inform us in so many ways. It’s mind boggling – all the things that we are simply unaware! I have bought Muir Glen for years and Raos is my favorite when we need a quick meal. Ugh! Are there brands you do recommend?
Jacqueline
Hi, Julie, it sure is maddening. I am trying to figure that out now myself. I have been using Annie’s ketchup – spendy – and was planning to call them today with the Phone number on the bottle! That’s what I buy (and Trader Joe’s marinaras, but since they are “traders” I would imagine their tomato products are imported, too! Whaaaaa 🙁
Thankfully, we grow many heirloom tomatoes and will be freeze drying ours, but I think the days of easy, jarred, safe and healthy food is about over…
I recommend anyone who can, plant a garden and learn to raise some food… but I fear for those who aren’t able to or those with ready clean water.
Trusting in Jesus is imperative. He is my soul food! ~J
Sue Beer
Plant a garden every year. My son starts our tomatoes by seed in the winter at my other son’s house. We plant 36 plants. Peppers also. I have made my own spaghetti sauce for nearly 50 years, and we do our own salsa every year. I’ll can 15 pints and still have extra to enjoy right away.
I don’t use ketchup for the most part because of the high fructose corn syrup.
You can’t seem to trust even the food you eat!
Jacqueline
Sue, you sound like us, except for the canning. We freeze many gallon bags of dices and now whole tomatoes (with only the stem spot cut out minimally) and slip the skins on the whole ones when they are good and cooked. They slip off whole (intact) and I fork them out. Super easy to do and they are amazing suace and paste quality! All heirlooms, no GMO anything. Just one of the reasons why we are so healthy, I believe.
Yes, everyone would do well to have a small garden, esp with what is coming up.
Sending peace,
Jacque
Sue Beer
We also freeze diced tomatoes when I am tired of canning. We will throw them in our soups in the winter. Good eatin’. I’ll have to try the whole tomato route this year.
Virginia S.
Thanks for this eye-opening article. Hoping you will be able to soon post a list of brands that do not source their tomato sauces from China so we can use their brand. Ugh!
Jacqueline
Virginia, I have found 4 ketchups that are NOT from China so far, and have a list going near the end of the post! See my UPDATE.
I am sorry to be so late to find them as many didn’t see it in the 1st day of reading, but 4 grandchildren keep me so busy, I just do what I can! 😀
Blessings,
Jacque
Katie
Sally Fallon has great suggestions in Nourishing Traditions for budget-friendly ways of reducing processed foods in the diet. One major way is homemade dressings and condiments.
We tried homemade ketchup and it was mediocre. Home-canned tomato paste seems to be just fine when we want it on hamburgers, but we rarely miss ketchup. It’s easy to replace ketchup with homemade sauces or dressings. Of course, you have to get used to a new thing, but it’s not so bad in the end!
Us Canadians also like gravy on our fries (poutine!)… =) I think gravy goes well on just about everything!
Katie
Jacqueline
Yes, Katie, we are going to be forced to give up (or amend) some of our comfort foods and ways. Still love our homemade ketchup, though.
I have found 4 ketchups that are NOT from China so far, and have a list going near the end of the post! See my UPDATE.
I need to get my Nourishing Traditions book out and see some of her recommendations!
Thanks for adding such rich suggestions here.
Sending peace to you,
Jacque
Lisa
I watched the documentary you posted, what they are doing is so dishonest and quite disturbing how they can import the tomatoes from China and then put a label from their own country! How could we possibly find out where the tomatoes were grown? Is there a way to even know?
We have to demand honest labeling! But how would we even do that? So frustrating!
Thank you so much for all the information you share!
Jacqueline
Lisa, It is so maddening. Our wonderful gift of God’s food is being destroyed little by little because we are so used to the conveneince of buying it instead of growing it. Corrupt businesses and countries will exploit the ‘customer’ when they have a monopoly like they do! I encourage people to get back to simple pleasure like gardening!
Jan
Hi Jacque!
It’s my first time on your website. There seems to be quite a bit of information that interests me. I can’t wait to dive in! One thing I wanted to comment on is your comment about still being on Facebook by the grace of God. I’m not thinking God really cares that you’re still on Facebook. As a society we all need to STOP putting so much faith, stock, trust, whatever you want to call it, in Facebook. I could go on and on about this but I choose not too.
Thank you for hearing me out,
Jan
Jacqueline
Hi, Jan, I totally understand and agree with what you are saying!
BUT, DRAH readership is gained primarily from FB (I used to have over 85,000 followers till they shadow banned me down to in the 60,000 range). I am unable to gain much following on other platforms.
Since I want to ‘be seen’ where the majority don’t know the Lord or don’t understand implications for their family/children medically (in this agenda-driven culture today), I will hang on there till they kick me off.. The blog will cease to exist (or be found online) if I don’t find other platforms to share on or ask people to come straight to the blog and bypass FB.. So what I am saying there is that I still can be ‘seen’ on FB (and that is a blessing for others hopefully) – though, I hate FB. We are in a war of good vs evil!
I hope that makes sense.. I am waiting on the Lord to direct each step!
Sending peace,
Jacque
Bonnie White
We use Simple Truth Organic Ketchup, from Kroger. They advertise on the front of the bottle “Tomatoes from California”. We love it!
Jacqueline
Bonnie, we use that one, too, but sometimes wonder who we can truly trust anymore! I am more and more making my own. ~J