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Tomatoes in Ute Studer's garden in Zurich: "Greenhouse is greenhouse everywhere"

Photo: Martin Studer

SPIEGEL:

Ségolène Royal, France's former environment minister, suddenly hates Spanish tomatoes. She said they were “inedible,” “fake organic,” and had no place on French shelves. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez counters that Royal has never tried a Spanish tomato and that they are "unbeatable." What's the point of the tomato war?

Studer:

Both Spanish and French tomatoes in question come from greenhouses. They don't get any sun.

SPIEGEL:

Does that mean they taste similar anyway?

Studer:

Just as bad. The seeds all come from the agro giants. Bayer, Corteva and Syngenta control 50 percent of the seed market. It doesn't matter whether the tomatoes are called ox heart, cœur de bœuf or corazón de buey.

SPIEGEL:

Ms. Royal seems to be able to taste a huge difference. French winemakers have even burned Spanish tomatoes in protest.

Studer:

I suspect it's about market shares and EU subsidies, rather than taste. Although Spanish tomatoes sold in France certainly taste a little worse than in Spain. It's because of the transport, they are refrigerated. Below 13 degrees, every tomato loses some of its flavor.

SPIEGEL:

After all, we're talking about organic.

Studer:

Greenhouse organic. There, too, they should all ripen at the same time and have a tough skin for transport. And they are artificially irrigated. That always means little taste.

SPIEGEL:

Okay, what about the Italian tomatoes? Isn't Italy world champion?

Studer:

A greenhouse is also a greenhouse in Italy. As far as Italian canned food is concerned, 80 percent now comes from China. The tomatoes are grown and canned in China, then they are canned in Italy and marketed as Italian.

SPIEGEL:

Do you taste China?

Studer:

I'm lucky enough to grow my own tomatoes in the garden. Here too, however, you can do a lot wrong. I recommend: Don't water, it dilutes the taste, the tomatoes draw enough water from the soil themselves. Don't fertilize too much. And don't cut off too many leaves, even if they grow - they're supposed to.