Italian ministry seizes 30 tonnes of fake extra‑virgin olive oil

Italy’s Ministry of Agriculture, led by Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, ordered the seizure of 30,000 kg of lampante oil that had been fraudulently labeled as extra‑virgin olive oil from Spain. The illegal shipment was intercepted by the inter‑force food‑safety agency ICQRF after a sampling operation at the port of Livorno in late June revealed the oil’s true nature.

The oil, destined for commercial sale in Italy, was confiscated at an olive‑oil facility in the province of Florence, preventing an estimated €240,000 profit from the scheme. Lollobrigida highlighted the action as part of a newly strengthened “cabina di regia” framework that coordinates police forces and agricultural inspectors to improve monitoring and protect both consumers and honest producers. The operation illustrates the evolution of Italy’s anti‑fraud system, which now emphasises risk‑based sampling, advanced laboratory analysis and digital tools such as a telematic oil registry.