Olive oil shortages and record-breaking prices on the European market are practically pushing counterfeiters eager for profit into organized crime. It was recently announced that in the operation of the Italian financial police in three illegal laboratories in the city of Cerignola in the south of Italy, 37 tons of fake extra virgin olive oil harmful to human health were seized. Laboratory analyzes have determined that it is not olive oil, but oil obtained from sunflower seeds with added colors beyond the permitted limits, the newspaper “Corriere della Sera” reported. Three people have been handed over to the prosecutor’s office in Foggia on suspicion of trading in harmful substances and selling a fake food product as original, thus simultaneously violating the administrative regulations for publishing data on the origin and quality of food. product.
In January of this year, it was reported that there are more counterfeits due to the shortage of olive oil on the European market, but it seems that the example from Italy is the most drastic so far. It has long been known that olive oil is one of the most counterfeited products in the world, and the most expensive extra virgin oil has been the target of speculators for years because it is the most profitable. The European Agency for Public Health and Food Safety warned of this phenomenon exactly ten years ago, citing speculators from Italy as the greatest risk.
Slovenian inspectors in action against fake olive oil: “The results are devastating”
At the beginning of the year, the State Inspectorate of Slovenia announced a major inspection of as many as 30 types of oil.
The risk of buying counterfeit olive oil is extremely high due to the shortage of this food on the European Union market, Slovenian state television reported, and “Jutarnji List” reported. The State Inspectorate of this country therefore announced a comprehensive control and analysis of about 30 types of olive oil that are offered to customers there. As this television reported, last year the Food Safety Authority found that only a third of the 34 olive oil samples taken were in order, while various worrying inconsistencies were confirmed in the remaining samples.
Experts estimate that only 10 percent of the total world production meets the criteria for their oil to be categorized as extra virgin. In stores, the supply of this most expensive product is increasing, so the question arises of what quality it is if the whole of Europe has a problem protecting consumers from fraud.
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Source: The falsification of olive organized crime or a way of making money – Free Press
