Tons of ruined, low-quality and no more marketable rice from the countries of Southeast Asia have been discovered during the summer by the department of the Central Inspectorate for Quality Protection and Fraud Prevention of Agri-Food Products (ICQRF) of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture.
ASIAN RICE SOLD AS ITALIAN
A few tonnes of imported rice were found to be irregular due to broken and damaged grains exceeding the legal limit. This was revealed during a series of extraordinary controls, carried out since 1st July at the points of entry into the Italian territory – such as ports, airports, border crossings, up to silos or warehouses – on 70 samples of about 1100 tons of product of the Jasmin, Basmati, Thaibonnet, Lungo Surinam varieties. For as many quantities, the ICQRF also found false Italian labelling of rice from Asia, reporting the crime to the competent Prosecutor’s Offices.
RISO CLASSICO AND THE PROTECTION OF MADE IN ITALY
“The activity of the ICQRF is of absolute importance in the protection of Made in Italy – said the Italian Minister of Agriculture Gian Marco Centinaio. We will insist on controls, and if anything goes wrong the product can not enter Italy. Our goal is to protect our agri-food products in Europe and worldwide. That’s why I fought for the birth of the Riso Classico (classic rice) brand. My priority is to defend Italian farmers and consumers”.