The seizures follow an operation carried out at the national level to “identify potential non-conformities regarding the authenticity and quality of the product, the labelling requirements that could mislead consumers and also unfair competition practices”.

So far, 12 thousand liters of olive oil, 3,850 liters of cooking oil, and 200 liters of food seasoning have been seized, as well as 105,210 labels “with information that misleads the consumer”, with an estimated value of 73 thousand euros, according to the entity.

The seizures occurred following the inspection of 150 economic operators, including “producers, packers and retailers, including sales in markets and fairs”, which resulted in the opening of eight criminal cases, of which the most notable were “the fraud on merchandise and violation by improper use of Protected Designation of Origin (DOP)”.

“15 administrative offense cases were also initiated, the infractions of which include non-compliance with labelling rules, lack of information to the consumer, lack of mandatory mentions on the olive oil labelling and misleading the consumer”, the note added.

ASAE warned that consumers should be “attentive to product offers at a lower price than expected, and should always check the information on the labels, namely, whether there is a reference that they are cooking oils or vegetable oils”.