A heavy blow to olive oil fraud has been dealt in the commercial port of Salerno, where a joint operation between the Carabinieri, the Guardia di Finanza and Customs has led to the blocking of a shipment of 18.100 kg of olive oilThe product, ready to be exported to Canada, was sold as “extra virgin” but hid a very different reality.
The raid and the investigations
The operation, coordinated by the "Control Room" of the Ministry of Agriculture (Masaf), was triggered following the activation of a risk profile on the container. The investigations, supported by rigorous laboratory analyses, confirmed the investigators' suspicions:
- Product Downgrading: what on the invoice and label appeared to be high quality extra virgin olive oil was, in reality, simple virgin olive oil.
- False origin: Although the wording indicated an exclusively EU origin, the analyses revealed a blend of EU and non-EU oils.
Reports and sanctions
The owner of an Abruzzo olive oil company has been targeted by the Public Prosecutor's Office. The charges are serious:
- commercial fraud;
- sale of industrial products with false signs;
- ideological falsehood committed by a private individual in a public act.
In addition to the evidentiary seizure of the cargo, with an estimated value of approximately 80.000 €, an administrative fine of 4.000 euros was imposed for irregularities regarding the origin of the product.
Minister Lollobrigida's comment
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty intervened on the matter, Francesco Lollobrigida, who praised the coordination between law enforcement agencies:
"Italy confirms its leading role in food safety controls. Thanks to the work of the Masaf Control Room, we protect citizens and the prestige of Made in Italy products from fraud along the supply chain."
