Latest Euro crackdown nets €91m in fraudulent food

This year's Operation Opson against counterfeit and substandard food and beverages in Europe has led to the seizure of 22,000 tonnes of food and around 850,000 litres of beverages, mostly alcoholic, across 29 countries.

The value of the seized goods has been estimated at €91m ($98m) with highlights this year once again featuring the sale of expired food, counterfeit olive oil and protected designation of origin (PDO) wines. It’s a big increase on last year's operation, which netted 8,000 tonnes of illicit food and beverages worth €30m from operations in 25 countries.

The operation – now in its 13th run – also resulted in the takedown of 11 criminal networks, with 104 arrests, according to Europol, which helped to coordinate the action. One of the major investigations carried out this year involved a premium wine counterfeiting ring that was busted in Italy, which was reported last week.

Europol shone a spotlight on a few of the successes of Opson XIII, including an operation by Spanish and Italian police focused on the owners of a canning company in La Rioja, Spain, who are accused of making canned tuna products with meat of lower quality than indicated on the label.

They also used sunflower oil or pomace labelled as olive oil in the products, allowing them to market them at prices much lower than their competitors.

In Valencia, a pickle production company was investigated for selling products unfit for consumption due to the addition of illegal dyes and preservatives, while an Italian action revealed widespread adulteration of low-quality oil that was being sold as extra virgin olive oil.

In the latter clampdown, Italian police searched various locations such as warehouses and seized tonnes of "oily substances contained in plastic tubs and cans" as well as hundreds of litres of chlorophyll used for their adulteration. Counterfeiters add chlorophyll and other substances like beta-carotene to seed oils to mimic the colour of extra virgin olive oil.