CIBO CRIMINALE

I have just watched a very worrying report on Spanish TV regarding organized crime and fraud in the Italian food industry. A new book, "Cibo Criminale" tells about criminal involvement in the industry that would amount to 60 billion euro a year. Using the "Made in Italy" label, the organised fraud system not only sells products which are not 100% Italian - that would be minor fraud - but are also poisoning people by using products which do not comply with basic hygiene and health standards and regulations. Obviously, you know who are involved in this fraud and it is estimated that their profit amounts to some 12 billion yearly. Italy has a great reputation for food products which can be damaged by these practices. This is the book that has made those claims Cibo Criminale and there is plenty of information on the Web if you do a search using those words. Most of this information is in Italian, though. I do hope that the Italian authorities will act swiftly to protect honest producers.

Good information Gala, but nothing new under the sun.

Here is a report from almost exactly a year ago: http://www.foodnews.co.nz/28007/mozzarella-master-arrested-on-fraud-charges/

Shocking, but probably only the tip of the iceberg  

Yes, I have heard about  the mozzarella story and the reporters said tonight that it was what originated this enquiry and the book itself. There are lots of different stories, covering tomatoes from China, different oils - some of them quite unhealthy - blended together and sold as "extra virgin olive oil"... it is not only the origin of the olives used, as it has been well known that Greek and Spanish olives had been used in the past, but the oils were not fraudulent (well, not totally even if the product was not 100% Italian), and when you blend other oils that are not olive oils, some of them quite unhealthy and sell them as "extra virgin"... It is very serious and damaging. Obviously, the usual criminal organisations are behind this profitable fraud.