They sold honey as organic, but it wasn’t at all. This is what emerged from the checks of the Forestry Carabinieri of the Environmental, Agri-food and Forestry Police Investigation Unit (Nipaaf) of Chieti, carried out together with the soldiers of the Villa Santa Maria Unit, as part of an operation called “Clean Ape”.
The investigations led to the seizure of over 50 tons of honey and 12 tons of sugars and non-certified organic feed, without supporting documentation and traceability.
According to what was ascertained by the authorities, the non-compliant substances were intended to feed bees in hives registered as organic, in violation of European regulation 2018/848, which allows the use of non-organic feed only in exceptional cases, such as famine or situations of risk for the survival of the colonies.
The irregularities
The operation, conducted in various locations in the province of Chieti, revealed real fraud in the exercise of trade and the illicit use of organic certifications. The seized sugars were used as auxiliary feed for the bees, compromising the purity and quality of the honey produced, which could therefore not be certified as organic according to European standards.
This is not just a formal violation: feeding bees with non-certified sugars alters the production process and undermines consumer trust, as well as damaging honest beekeepers who strictly follow organic rules.
During the checks, the police also discovered serious hygienic-sanitary irregularities in some honey processing laboratories. In these premises, 300 kilograms of untraceable honey were found, stored in non-compliant containers and without the mandatory registrations of origin and destination required by food safety legislation.
Following the violations found, the competent health authority ordered the immediate suspension of the production activity of one of the companies involved, which had already shown previous administrative irregularities in the sector of the production and marketing of organic products.
All the material found – honey, sugars and feed – was subjected to preventive seizure. The investigations, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Lanciano, continue to ascertain responsibilities and verify the involvement of other operators in the supply chain.
The “Ape Pulita” operation is part of the broader national campaign of agri-food controls of the Carabinieri Command for Forestry and Environmental Protection, aimed at guaranteeing the correct origin, quality and safety of Italian products, with particular attention to the organic sector, a strategic sector for the national economy.
How can we protect ourselves from cases like this? To be on the safe side, it is advisable to always choose organic Italian honey, purchasing it directly from a trusted beekeeper.
Source: Ansa
