Rome, 23 Dec. (AKI) – Italy’s five-billion-euro olive oil business is a fraud, according to a Friday report in the La Repubblica newspaper.

Eighty percent of the country’s oil carrying the label “Made in Italy” is mixed with lower quality Spanish, Tunisian and Greek oil, the article said, citing an ongoing investigation by different police agencies in collaboration with Italian agriculture trade group Coldiretti.

Italy exports 250 thousand metric tons of oil every year, but imports total 470 thousand tons. Last year oil imports jumped by 100 thousand tons, prompting authorities to ask where it ended up.

Italians and the foreigners worldwide are fooled into thinking they are buying olive oil from the world’s most celebrated producer, according to La Repubblica.

“There’s a group of powerful people in the agriculture business that are making an illegal fortune from the untraceable mixed olive oils,” said Coldiretti consumer protection head Stefano Masini, saying it’s time to talk about an “agro-mafia.”

“Made in Italy” is a coveted label that has come under fire for misleading and outright lying to consumers. Some luxury clothing brands have been accused of manufacturing their goods in China except for the “last stitch” which is done in Italy, allowing them to say their goods were made in Italy.

The report said allied importers and distributers – sometimes belonging to the same companies – have formed a “cartel” of operating mostly in Italy’s central and southern regions that set prices.

“They control the prices, they control the market,” it said.

Interesting and damn it just shows you how greedy people are, if I had a successful business I wouldn't dare to do something illegal just to get higher profits. Do you think this group is somehow tied with the Italian syndicates.

It is the mafia. This is just some obscure term invented by the media, to imply that it revolves around the environment and agriculture, that's all. Like those wind farms that the mafia in Sicily has their hands all over these days. I've seen that also, referred to as the "agro-mafia" controlling them. It's not another branch of mafia, just some invented term. And a stupid one at that. IMHO as always.

Yay, the mob is going green .

This article is not 100% accurate.

This isn't "mafia", but businessmen that are criminals. 99% of Italian olive oil is shit. Anyone that buys it is crazy. Last week a whole list of Italian companies were busted for selling fake organic products. Food fraud is big business in Italy.

Second, Tunisian and Spanish oil is lower quality but Greek oil is the highest.

For olive oil to be considered "extra virgin" or the best, it has to have acidity lower than "0.8%".

What the Italians do is mix a certain percentage of Greek extra virgin olive oil (that has say 0.2 or 0.3% acidity) with plain virgin olive oil from Italy, Tunisia, or Spain (that has an acidity that is above 0.8%), they package it and result is as "Premium Italian Extra Virgin".

spartan, what is next? Your commercial for Trojans?

you've been throwin out some good zingers lately SC! must be the season coming out in you!

He does come up with some good ones. This one here, was clever on so many levels. If any of the 20 and under crowd need it explained, hit me up.

in south italy there is not any 'business criminal' who works in freedom, they are all mafiosi or subservient of mafia
mafia controls the whole farming sector in south italian regions

yeah Sc is right you got the commercial demonstrate o how mixin .0254 extra virgin greek olive oil + .58 of italian mafia olive oil and you a crock of shit olive oil to b shipped to the islands
I bet you have alot of patents on a bunch of stupid sh___T you thought of.

I'm actually in the business. But if you think what I wrote is "stupid shit", to my balls. There are two factories here that make "bio diesel" oil that is sold to Italians, who with fake customs paperwork, pass it off as "extra virgin" and re sell it in the US and elsewhere. And the big Italian oil companies operate out of the north.

I believe you're in the business, but like i said earlier in the thread, and m2w also said, it is mafia. Not just some business men who are criminals. Agro-mafia is an invented term by some journalists and all it means is mafia controlling agricultural and environmental interests, ie windfarms, like I mentioned.

I hope the Mafia is involved in this business. If they are it means the Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza will be all over them. I receive emails almost weekly from the Greek Agriculture Ministry about Italian firms that have been shut down by Italian law enforcement.

From "organic" products, to olive oil, to even mozzarella, OC has been shown to be involved in Italy. They are destroying Italy's reputation for high quality agricultural products....which is good for Spanish and Greek companies that are legit. Italian firms will exit the market leaving a huge vacuum to be filled.