Three people are under investigation for the production and sale of fake DOP buffalo mozzarella. The Capua Carabinieri executed an order issued by the GIP of Santa Maria Capua Vetere at the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Santa Maria Capua Vetere, which prohibited the three suspects from residing in the province of Caserta.
The charges include conspiracy to commit commercial fraud. The suspectsthrough their commercial activity, they put on sale buffalo mozzarella from Campania with the DOP mark which differed from the original in originquantity and quality, violating the rules that protect this denomination.
Prosecutor Pierpaolo Bruni underlined that buffalo mozzarella from Campania has a protected designation of origin and regulated production. The investigation was conducted by the Carabinieri of Vitulazio with the support of the Agri-Food Protection Department of Salerno, and revealed that the mozzarella was sold not only in their point of sale, but also in other shops in Italy and abroad, including in France and Austria, violating strict rules on the composition of the milk used.
Mixing buffalo milk and cow’s milk was common, with cow’s milk often prevailing, although the specification excludes this practice for the production of buffalo mozzarella from Campania. The falsified mozzarella was also distributed to other dairiesas well as to large-scale distribution, guaranteeing a significant profit at the expense of consumers who purchased a non-compliant product.
The investigation made use of various investigative techniques, including analysis of GPS and telephone data, telephone interceptions, observations, and analysis of seized products.
