2 tons of Easter eggs and doves seized: “Industrial products passed off as artisanal”

Industrial Easter eggs and doves repackaged and then passed off as artisanal: the Carabinieri Health Protection Command seized two tons of typical Easter sweets. The campaign involved the 38 NAS Carabinieri at a national level with over 840 inspections at production laboratories and sales outlets of traditional […]

Easter eggs and doves industrial products repackaged and then passed off as artisanal: the Carabinieri Health Protection Command seized two tons of typical sweets from the Easter. The campaign involved i 38 Nas Carabinieri with over 840 inspections at production laboratories and sales outlets of traditional confectionery products. The military also verified the commercial and hygienic correctness of the raw materials through preventive supervision of the production and supply phases. The results document irregularities found in 324 structures and companies subject to inspection (equal to 38%), the contestation of 574 criminal and administrative violations, for an amount of 425 thousand euros, and the seizure of a total of 2 tons of food, for an estimated value of more 267 thousand euros.

During the interventions, the Carabinieri also found industrially produced chocolate doves and eggs which, once discarded and repackaged, were sold as artisanal products to a higher price. They were 6 the shop owners reported to the judicial authorities for the hypothesis of attempted commercial fraud, with the simultaneous seizure of over 300 doves and eggs falsely declared to be of its own production. Due to serious hygienic and structural situations, they have been arranged 15 closure or suspension measures of commercial and production activities, estimated to have an economic value greater than 5 million euros.

Among the most significant situations ascertained by NAS the one who during the check at a pastry shop in the province of Bergamo led to the discovery, inside the laboratory, 70kg of chocolate and 90kg of confectionery products with an expiry date that has passed, even for some years, and with non-compliant indications regarding the ingredients used for production. Contested administrative violations for an amount of 3,500 euros. Also to Rome following checks carried out at two pastry laboratories in the province, the owners of both businesses were released into custody for having placed on the market traditional Easter confectionery products of industrial production artfully labeled and declared as artisanal gastronomic products. In addition to having found, lacking hygienic and structural conditions and failure to implement the manual HACCP. They were then seized 33 packages of doves and 15 Easter chocolate eggs and high fines for a total amount of 4,000 euros.