Italy: Regulator fines Lidl, Deoleo and Coricelli for misleading consumers

The Italian Antitrust Authority, imposed fines on the global discount supermarket chain Lidl, the world’s largest olive oil producer, Deoleo, and Pietro Coricelli amounting to nearly €1 million, for unfair business practices regarding their olive oil brands.

After reports by the consumer rights magazine Il Test Salvagente, the Konsumer Italia association and the network of consumer associations, Rete Consumatori Italia, a complaint was submitted concerning Deoleo olive oil brands Carapelli, Bertolli, and Sasso; Lidl’s Primadonna brand; and Coricelli.

The Antitrust Authority, after an appraisal of evidence, delivered the judgment, which called the ‘extra virgin olive oil’ indication on the packaging of the olive oils “misleading,” after tests found them to meet the parameters of only the ‘virgin’ grade.

The companies are expected to appeal the decision to the Latium regional administrative court.

The investigation started after a report by the magazine for consumer rights ‘Il Test Salvagente,’ which in May 2015 analyzed olive oil contained in 20 bottles labeled ‘extra virgin olive oil,’ distributed and sold by the most popular supermarkets in Italy.

The analyses were conducted by the chemical laboratory of the customs agency in Rome, which downgraded seven brands to virgin. The Prosecutor of Turin instructed the NAS, officials from the anti-adulteration and health unit of the Carabinieri, to repeat the analyses, which confirmed that the olive oils of some popular brands including Carapelli, Bertolli, Sasso, Primadonna and Coricelli were not extra virgin as labeled.

Full Content: Olive Oil Times

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