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2019.05.22 Ciccotelli Declaration
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UNITED STATES DISTRJCT COURT
EASTERN DISTRlCT OF NEW YORK
Ricardo Sibrian, individually and on behalf of
all others similarly situated,
Case No. 2:19-cv-00974-JS-GRB
Plaintiff,
v. D.ECLARATION OF
PATRICK M. CICCOTELLI
Cento Fine Foods, Inc.,
Defendant.
I, Patrick M. Ciccotelli, of sound and competent mind and being over the age of eighteen,
hereby declare the following based upon my personal knowledge:
1. I submit this Declaration in connection with the above-captioned case. I have
first-hand knowledge of the facts set forth herein, or have learned these facts first hand, and if
called and sworn as a witness, I could and would testify competently and from personal
knowledge as to these facts.
2. I am the President and CEO of Cento Fine Foods, Inc. ("Cento"). Cento has
operated as a family run, private company for more than 55 years.
3. Cento advertises and sells its Cento San Marzano Tomatoes in the United States
(hereafter referred to as the "Products").
4. The Products are grown, inspected, and canned in the area known as the Sarnese
Nocerino area in the Campania region of Italy, near the base of Mount Vesuvius. This area is
accepted as tbe ideal location for the growth of San Marzano tomatoes. Cento also operates a
production plant in the Campania region, located at COOP. Solania A.R.L., Via Provinciale 40,
84010 San Valentino Torio (S.A.).
~
5. Cento mandates, and pays a four time premiwn, or 300% over regular/standard
Italian tomatoes, for its producer to purchase raw materials (i.e. its tomatoes) from Italian farms
in the Samese Norcerino area. It operates anywhere from 10 to 30 individual fields for growing
its Products, depending on demand and yield conditions for each particular growing season. All
of these fields are easily identified as being within the Sarnese Norcerino area.
6. In 2018, Cento's farming partners operated 25 fields for that year's crop. A copy
of Cento's certificate identifying its certified fields in the Samese Norcerino area for the 2018
growing season is attached hereto as Exhibit A.
7. The Products are certified as San Marzano tomatoes by an independent, third-
party certifier, Agri-Cert, which certifies the entire grow and production process: from the seeds
and growing, and all the way through and including canning. A copy of Agri-Cert's certification
of the Cento San Marzano Products, which certifies traceability, harvesting, and all other aspects
\
}
of San Marzano production, is attached as Exhibit B.
8. The Consortium for the Protection of S. Marzano Pomodoro Dell'agro Sarnese
Nocerino (hereinafter the "Consmtium"), which issues a competing ce1tification labeled
"D.O.P.", does not hold a monopoly on the San Marzano designation and certification process in
the United States. In the European Union, the Consortiwn only controls the labeling term "S.
Marzano Pomodoro Dell'agro Sarnese Nocerino" for its clients.
9. Prior to being certified by Agri-Ceit beginning in 2011, Cento was participating
member of the Consortiwn and labeled its San Marzano Products as "D.O.P. Certified" for
approximately ten years. Cento no longer labels the Products to indicate any affiliation with the
Consortium.
10. After switching ce1tifiers in .2011, Cento has maintained the same grow and
production operations that were in place during its years as a participating member of the
Consortium. Its current farming and packing practices, as confim1ed by its current certifier, are
also compliant, and indeed superior to the Consortium specifications and European Union
guidelines.
11. Giuseppe Napoletano, a charter and current member of the Consortium,
recognizes in an affidavit that Cento's San Marzano Products' "seeds, plants, fa1mlands, and all
production steps" are ce1iified by "a third patty body[,]" and that "Cento has been [sic] positive
influence of San Marzano Tomatoes awareness." Mr. Napoletano's has sworn to the above
quoted testimony concerning Cento's lawful fa1ming practices and his Affidavit is attached
hereto as Exhibit C.
12. Cento's Italian famiing partners receive inspection annually and maintain its
certification documentation with respect to its Cento San Marzano Products in the regular course
of its business.
13. While I have no knowledge of how many lot codes Plaintiff attempted to enter on
the Cento 's "Find My Field" calculator on our website, or how Plaintiff or his counsel only
yielded four fields in his search results, I or one of my employees has personally visited the
many fields maintained by Cento's Italian farmers.
14. Plaintiffs allegation that the "Find My Field" search results only bring back "the
same four fields" is false. Operated cbrrectly, Cento' s website traces a specific lot code to one of
the many fields in operation during a specific yield.
15. The Cento San Marzano Products are not grown in the United States. As stated
above, they are grown, inspected, and canned in the Sarnese Nocerino area.
16. In over 55 years of operation, Cento has never been accused of breaking the law
with respect to its manufacturing practices and has never received an adverse judgment
concerning its truth of advertising.
17. As one of the largest producers of San Marzano tomatoes in the U.S., Cento
employs the highest food safety, traceability, and sustainability standards, and is considered the
gold standard in the industry.
18. Cento owns the registered trademark "San Marzano" over tomatoes, U.S.
Registration No. 3,210,945, in international class 030 for use in connection with the Products,
attached hereto as Exhibit D.
19. Cento has never been the subject of any federal investigation for its
manufacturing practices and the Products meet and exceed all federal standards, regulations and
applicable laws promulgated by the FDA and USDA.
I declare tmder penalty of pe1jury that the foregoing is true and correct.
Executed in West Deptford, New Jersey on May 22, 2019.
JOSEPH R POGUE
NOTARY PUBLIC
4
EXHIBIT A
M, 122 Rev. 02 de! 29/06/2015
ELENCO DELLE ORGANIZZ;LXZIONI IN FILIERA
COPER.TE DAL CERTIFICATO N° 07000t0 rev. 04 c:Jel 26/0V2016
RILAsc1A10 A: coop sbCANrA sRL
VIA PROVINCIAL.E 40, 84010 SAN VALENTINO TORIO (SA)
A FRONTE DELLA NORMA UNI EN ISO 22005·2008
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AORO f.c.a.1). ···-· "'
L;organlzzazlone deve agglornare Bioagrlcert entro 30gg su varlazionl lntervenute nell'elenco
del!e organizzazlonl ln filiera e comunque pr!ma d! acqufslre prodottl" co pert I dal certificato.
Doc. EO rev. 03 Responsaqile Bio
~050 B
d<i•~««dldJi\oluo
1m<o!o fA, IM! llAC Aggiornato al 09/11/2018 Ser~l,vat
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EXHIBIT B
M.122 Rev. 02 del 29/06/2015
CERTIFICATO DI PRQDOTTO
RINTRACCIABILITA' DI FILIERA
CEf\TIFICATO N°
0700010'
CERTIFICATE N°
rev. 04 in data 26/01/2016
UNI EN ISO 22005:2008
L'ORGANIZZAZIONE:
OF THE COMPANY
CO.OP SOLAN/A SRL
>'1''"'';:,;,\c,••"- SED1=TEGA[E: VlAl5!'ior.Jfi/ctALE4o; 84010 SAN VALENTINO TOR/0 (SA)
sEzoe PRoournvA: .,v1~ pf/bv,NctALE 4o, a101osAN vALENnNo roRto rsAJ
OBl/iTTIVI: Garantire forjgine campana de! pomodoro, Permettere un'identificazione rapida
e pUntuale. ctei lottl e de/le quantita di prodotto vendute a ciascun clients per faci/itare un
· even/uale ritiro e/o ii richiamo dei lotti di prodotto dai clienti, Soddisfare le specifiche dei
c/ientf. '
IL PRODOTTO:
THE PRODUCT
POMODORI PELATI
. ,.
IN BANDA STAGNATA
NEL RISPETTO DEi SEGUENTI REQUISITI:
WITH RESPECT OF THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS
PROFOND/TA': Dalla coltivazione in campo de/ pomodoro de/ tipo varietale Kiros e San
Miifzano 2, fino al/a sua trasformazione in pomodori pelati.
IESTENS/ONE: pomodoro, succo di pomodoro, sale, imbal/aggi primari, acido citrico,
basilica.
Sono esclusl dal slatema di rintracciabillta i seguentl componenti: bucce e semi def prodotto
la\iorato.
UMR: DDT; Barattp/o da 0.5 kg, 1 kg, 3 kg
ELEMENT/ TRACC!A Tl: Varieta di pomodoro Kiros e San Marzano 2, Appezzamenti
coltivati, Trattamenti fitosanitari, Fertilizzazioni, Lotti di raccolta e conferimento de/
pomodoro, Lotti di trasformazione, Vendite.
La va/idita de/ presente certificato e subordinata al rispetto in continue de/ Regolamento
per la Certificazione Bioagricert e agli esiti de/la sorveglianza.
L'organizzazione e responsabile dell'immissione su/ mercato dei prodotti e del rilascio di
dichiarazioni di conformita.
Prima Emissione/ First issue
01/12/2011
t,m~r• 4egij "''"'" dl /Moo
l~•••mmen,o tr,.J~r e ll>.C
Data di rinnovo/ Renewal date
">""••r<l'l;A, !Af ao~[lAC
Mo&IM<OgMl,0~1re,m••I•
30/11/2017
Data di Scadenza I Expiry date
30/11/2020
Pagina 1 di 2
1oagr1cert S.r.f. Ornanismo di Cerilficazlon~ / Cedificat/on IJodv·
1·H·'l'.llfoaQricert.org
M.122 ' Rey, 02·<:fel 29/06/2015
ELENCO DELLE ORGANIZZAZIONI IN FILIERA
COPER.TEDAL CERTIFICATO N° 07'.0001'0 rev. 04 de! 26/01/2016
RILASCIATO A:iCOOP S()~•ANIA SRL
VIAPROVINCIALE 40, 84010 SAN VALl=NTINO TORIO (SA)
A FRONTE DELLA NORMA UNI -·--------
EN ISO 22005:2008
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