Olive oil counterfeiters squeezed in Italy, Spain

An enforcement operation against the trade in fraudulent olive oil, assisted by Europol, has resulted in 11 arrests and the seizure of over 260,000 litres of olive oil deemed unfit for consumption.

The operation – a spin-off of the regular Opson initiative against food fraud – was carried out by the Spanish Guardia Civil and Italy’s Carabinieri.

“The faking of extra virgin olive oil is a common practice, which is why the fight against it is a law enforcement priority - especially in production countries,” said Europol in a statement.

The investigators in the operation discovered that the criminals used so-called ‘lampante oil’, a lower-quality variant of olive oil, to dilute their product. The name lampante derives from the historical use of this quality of oil in lamps.

“Lampante olive oil is characterised by elevated acidity levels, an undesirable flavour, and a distinctly unpleasant odour, which make it unsuitable for consumption. Mixing consumer-grade olive oil with lower-grade alternatives allowed the criminals to offer competitive prices while entering legal supply chains,” added Europol.

“This illegal practice can not only cause a public health risk but also undermine consumer trust and thus have further economic repercussions.”

The crackdown was carried out last month around Ciudad Real in Spain and Sicily and Tuscany in Italy.

In Spain, six suspects were apprehended and 12 barrels containing 260 000 litres of adulterated oil were seized, along with four vehicles, €91,000 in cash, as well as digital and physical evidence such as billing documents and e-mails.

In Italy, investigators inspected three oil factories suspected to be involved in the illegal trade, taking oil samples for analysis, and uncovered documents and client lists that will help investigations. One company has already been sanctioned for irregular labelling of its products.

The operation was funded by EMPACT (European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats), which was set up to tackle the most important threats posed by organised and serious international crime affecting the EU.

Some estimates suggest that half of the olive oils on supermarket shelves in Italy are mislabelled, rising to more than two-thirds of bottles exported from Europe to other markets.