Italian police have seized 85,000 tonnes of green olives treated with copper sulphate to brighten their colour, and thousands of tonnes of foreign olive oil being passed off as 'Made in Italy'.
Italian police have seized 85,000 tonnes of green olives treated with copper sulphate to brighten their colour, and thousands of tonnes of foreign olive oil being passed off as 'Made in Italy'.
Nineteen people face charges over the 'painted' olives, including use of banned additives and planning to sell edible goods containing dangerous substances, the forestry police said on Wednesday.
Old olives from previous years' harvests which had lost their colour were 'recycled' with a coat of copper sulphate to give them an intense and uniform green colour.
Copper sulphate was a clever choice, police said, because it is not normally classified as a colourant so food control authorities do not usually test for it.
The home of pizza and prosciutto has long struggled against counterfeiting of its prized culinary goods, and police estimate the domestic market for fake foodstuffs is worth around 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) a year.
Police also said they put six people under investigation in the southern Puglia region and seized 7,000 tonnes of olive oil purporting to be the Italian 'extra virgin' variety which is prized for its rich taste and health benefits.
DNA tests showed the olives that yielded the oil were not from Italy, until recently the world's second biggest olive oil producer, but places including Syria and Turkey, the police statement said.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3430838/More-85-000-tons-green-olives-seized-Italian-police-coated-copper-sulphate-improve-colour.html
More than 85,000 tons of green olives seized by Italian police after they were coated with copper sulphate to improve their colour
Olives were from a previous harvest and 'painted' to make them look fresh
19 people face criminal charges including use of banned additives
Food authorities don't usually test for copper sulphate, according to police
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 18:13 EST, 3 February 2016 | UPDATED: 02:32 EST, 4 February 2016
More than 85,000 tons of green olives seized by Italian police after they were coated with copper sulphate to improve their colour
Olives were from a previous harvest and 'painted' to make them look fresh
19 people face criminal charges including use of banned additives
Food authorities don't usually test for copper sulphate, according to police
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 18:13 EST, 3 February 2016 | UPDATED: 02:32 EST, 4 February 2016
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