The year is about to end, but the checks by the Guardia di Finanza continue undaunted even in these festive days, which have brought to light a new fraud in the agri-food sector. They were almost 180 quintals of oil labeled as “organic extra virgin olive oil” were seized which in reality was something else entirely.
Yet another oil fraud was unmasked during a joint operation between the Provincial Command of the Guardia di Finanza of Catanzaro, the Provincial Command of Barletta-Andria-Trani and the Central Inspectorate for the protection of quality and repression of oil fraud agri-food products (ICQRF) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry.
The checks, conducted at two companies located in the provinces of Catanzaro and Barletta-Andria-Trani, led to the sampling and analysis of suspect extra virgin olive oil. Despite being labeled as “organic extra virgin olive oil” on the mandatory electronic registers of the SIAN system, chemical and organoleptic analyzes revealed that the product it was of inferior qualitymore specifically a mix of virgin and lampante oil, the latter characterized by an excessive degree of acidity and not edible as it is potentially harmful to the health of consumers.
Three tanks of this oil, mostly destined for a company in Puglia, were seized and contained a total of 17,900 kg of oil, of which 4,500 kg classified as lampante oil. The value of the seized product is estimated at over 200,000 euros.
The owner of the company involved was reported to the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Catanzaro for the crimes of fraud in the exercise of trade and sale of non-genuine food substances. But, at the moment, the proceeding is still in the preliminary investigation phase.
What brand of oil is it?
No official information has been released on the brand or brands involved in the seizure. Consumers, however, have the right to know which companies are counterfeiting their products, even if the crime has yet to be verified. Greater transparency would help protect citizens and strengthen trust in the agri-food market.
