On July 18, the Italian Association FareAmbiente presented the 9th report on Food fraud, which shows that about 3 Italian products out of 5 which are present on the shelves beyond the Italian border are false. 

Most counterfeits of “Made in Italy” food are recorded in the US, followed by China, the United Kingdom and, a growing issue, South America. FareAmbiente estimates the annual damage to the Treasury by 5 billion and 300 thousand euros and the damage for Italian companies in the food & beverage sector to 90 billion euros. In the last ten years, the damage to businesses has increased between 55 and 75%.

The report was completed with the support of Italian authorities. In 2017, for example, the NAS (the Italian Carabinieri of the Unit for the Prevention of the Adulteration of Food and Drinks) reported 2,384 crimes in the food sector, 27% of which were related to the holding/delivery of food in bad state, 25% to commercial fraud and 5% to adulteration and counterfeiting.

Source: FareAmbiente Website