Italy targets olive oil fraud with tighter checks on imports and supply chains
Italy plans more targeted olive oil inspections at mills, storage sites, import channels and large retailers. The measures come as 2025 import and export volumes rise while trade values fall.
Inspections to focus on high-risk points
Italy is preparing tighter controls on the olive oil supply chain to combat fraud and protect the reputation of products marketed as Made in Italy. Italpress reported that the new operational inspection plan was discussed by the government’s agri-food controls steering committee at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry.
The plan will concentrate inspections on parts of the chain considered most exposed to irregularities. Checks will cover olive mills, storage facilities, import channels and large retailers, with inspectors examining traceability, declared origin and oil quality. The authorities also intend to avoid duplicating inspections at companies that comply with the rules.
Border checks and data sharing
The meeting brought together the Carabinieri’s forestry unit, the Guardia di Finanza, the Coast Guard and the Customs and Monopolies Agency. The Guardia di Finanza will retain a central role in border controls, while customs officials will coordinate with other agencies to identify potential irregularities before products reach the Italian market.
The participating authorities will expand the sharing of information and databases to detect higher-risk shipments and operators more quickly. Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida said targeted controls were intended to prevent fraud against farmers and consumers, particularly where branding suggests Italian production although the oil was produced in another country. The measures are therefore relevant to foreign suppliers, Italian bottlers and retailers handling imported oil, as documentation on origin and product movements will face closer scrutiny.
Production recovers as trade values decline
Italy’s olive sector remains a major part of its food economy. According to calculations by Ismea cited by Italpress, the country had 1.09 million hectares of olive groves in 2025, including 289,000 organic hectares. The industry comprised about 619,000 olive-growing businesses and 4,261 active mills. Production was estimated at 325,000 tonnes, 31% above the previous year, while production value reached €2.4 billion, an increase of 6% according to Istat data.
The government has allocated almost €1.8 billion to the olive sector over three years, Lollobrigida said, with the aim of supporting Italian producers and improving the efficiency of quality-focused production. Domestic consumption stood at 8.1 kilograms per person. In large retail channels, extra virgin olive oil sales rose 15% by volume in 2025, but spending declined 13%, indicating lower average expenditure despite stronger physical demand.
Higher cross-border volumes reshape the market
Foreign trade followed a similar divergence between volumes and values. Olive oil imports increased 49% by volume but fell 16% by value, while exports rose 15% by volume and declined 20% by value. The figures point to substantially greater physical flows at lower aggregate trade values, increasing the commercial importance of origin verification and accurate labeling.
For importers, the new approach raises the importance of complete traceability records from production through storage and entry into Italy. Exporters using Italy as a destination will face more focused checks at the border and in downstream distribution. Italian producers, meanwhile, stand to gain if enforcement limits the sale of foreign oil presented in ways that could lead consumers to assume Italian origin. The plan does not announce new trade restrictions, but it signals closer enforcement across the channels through which imported and domestically produced oil reach consumers.
