[bee_rider]

These huge companies have massive resources, lots of food scientists and labs to throw at the problem. Traditional recipes are nice amateur attempts but surely the Italians don’t expect these to compete with the food-industrial system?

[Gordonjcp]

Which problem do you think they're throwing their resources at? Making the sauces taste good? They don't need to make the sauces taste good, because Marketing will just invent a little cartoon Italian grandfather with bushy eyebrows and a straw hat and a little cartoon grandmother with a long dress and her grey hair pinned up in a bun who makes him his dinner, and he'll tell you it's delicious in a comedy (and slightly problematic) accent, and you'll believe him and buy the sauce.

No no no.

The massive resources and food scientists and labs are there to make an inexpensive and highly shelf-stable tomato-based sauce product. It doesn't matter how it tastes, Marketing will fix that, Graphics will do a lovely tomato-and-basil colour scheme for the jar label that evoke the little terraced tomato farms of Campania, and it'll fly off the shelves. Especially when they air the advert where Nonno and Nonna wink at each other across the table with a little sparkle in the air, implying that despite their advanced age they're still at it like knives. That stuff plays like crazy across all the demographics.

And you'll eat it anyway.

[bee_rider]

I was just yanking that guy’s chain. Was expecting more hate, though!

[Gordonjcp]

Would it help if I said "I'm not angry I'm just disappointed"?