ECO TEST
The result: None of the pesto in the test scored “very good” or “good”. Two products can at least secure the rating “satisfactory”, including an organic pesto: Das Ppura Genovese Pesto Organic as well as that Buitoni pesto basilico.
Although the mineral oil components are also greatly increased in these products, both are free of plasticizers and pesticides. Six more pestos are still “enough”. Three pestos fail with the rating “poor”, nine do not pass the test as “insufficient”.
Also among the big losers that score 6 are well-known and popular brands:
- Alnatura Organic Pesto Verde
- Barilla pesto alla Genovese
- Bertolli Pesto Verde (Unilever)
- De Cecco I Sughi Pesto alla Genovese
The popular Barilla pesto contains 10 different pesticides, softeners, added flavors and greatly increased mineral oil components.
> To the detailed test report at ÖKO-TEST
Stiftung Warentest & VKI
Our Austrian neighbors have also tested the popular Barilla pesto. Here the pesto cuts off “average”, but in the test of the Austrians, in contrast to Germany, there are only five marks instead of six. In terms of ingredients, the Barilla pesto was also negative in this laboratory test. In addition to pollutants, the experts also discovered a nasty trick: In order to save money, cheap substitute products are used in the pesto, for example. For example, olive oil is replaced by cheaper sunflower oil, an undefined type of cheese is mixed in instead of real Parmesan and Pecorino, or the pine nuts typical of the recipe are replaced by cheaper cashew nuts. For example, Barilla’s product contains no pine nuts at all.