Carabinieri, Agri-food Protection Command, disrupts another tomato origin fraud. With the aggravating factor of out-of-control pesticide residues in the 821 tons of Egyptian concentrate seized by order of the GIP at the Court of Nocera Inferiore (SA).
The press reports on a local ‘leading canningindustry’ and the complaint of the two brother owners ‘A.P. and A.D.‘ (1,2). An open secret about Pasquale Attianese and his brother Daniele Mara, 50 percent partners in Attianese S.p.A. (with 750,000 shares, for as many euros, each).
The numerous third-party certifications boasted on the industry group’s website stimulate further reflection on system governance.
Attianese, the maxi seizure of tomato paste
Carabinieri from Salerno’s RAC (Reparto Tutela Agroalimentare) and the Carabinieri Aliquota of the local Judicial Police Section — under the coordination of the prosecutor at the Court of Nocera Inferiore, Antonio Centore — have in recent days carried out an emergency preventive seizure at the large canning industry in Agro Nocerino Sarnese.
The maxi-sequestration involved more than 3 thousand 250 kg metal drums of semi-finished products, origin Egypt, intended for reprocessing and packaging of double or triple tomato paste, in tubes and jars. With a view to their sale-especially to private label-at leading mass and discount retail groups, in Italy and abroad.
Pesticides out of control, ASL activation duties and notification to Brussels
Initial reports refer to the finding – by Carabinieri of the Agri-food Protection Department – of a ‘large amount of pesticides within the tomato paste of Egyptian origin,’ with the ‘concrete risk of harmfulness to human health.’ Therefore, the investigation was expanded to include the crime of trading in harmful food substances. (3)
Ad abundantiam
, ‘the substantial material seized is what remains of a much larger batch of semi-finished products; in fact, it has been established that already several hundred tons have been traded in EU and non-EU countries.’ (1)
Therefore, it is inc umbent to immediately involve the relevant health authorities, who must activate a recall and/or withdrawal campaign of the risky food products and notify the alert to Brussels in theRapid Alert System on Food and Feed (RASFF) system. (4)
Warning to consumers, corrective actions
When there is a well-founded concern about the possible non-compliance of a food with safety requirements, the operator must ‘Immediately initiate procedures to withdraw it and notify the appropriate authorities. Whether the product may have reached the consumer,
– Informs consumers, effectively and accurately, of the reason for withdrawal e,
– if necessary, recall products already supplied to consumers when other measures are insufficient to achieve a high level of health protection‘ (5,6).
Duties and responsibilities of the distributor
Distributors in Italy and the EU, in turn, have full responsibility for ensuring that the products they market comply with current regulations. (7) The rules introduced by Leg. 231/01 on corporate administrative responsibility postulate, among other things, the adoption of appropriate procedures and measures against suppliers who are found to be unreliable, for reasons such as those under consideration. (8)
The food safety risk from chemical contamination with outlawed pesticides (or otherwise above allowable limits) implies a duty on the part of distributors to:
– Notification to the relevant ASL of the supplier’s stock lots in question,
– Immediate withdrawal from the shelf and possible public recall of unsafe products, (9)
– segregation of products in the warehouse, pending updates.
How to identify potentially risky products?
Pending official clarification, Attianese SpA’s products-under its own brand, or even under the brand names of some retail or discount chains (e.g., ALDI, PAM, Kaufland in Germany, Albert Hejin in the Netherlands) can be identified by:
– manufacturer name, Attianese S.p.A.(Food Industry), and/or
– Plant headquarters in Nocera Superiore (SA), via Nazionale km 41.850 SN, and/or
– manufacturer’s initials, ATT1 or ATT2, stamped with inkjet next to the minimum shelf life (on the ‘fold’ of the tube, the bottom of the jar, the cap or neck of the bottle).
Miscellaneous Certifications
The carnet of certifications exhibited on Attianese S.p.A.’s website is as redundant as it is ineffective in light of the events that have transpired:
– Kosher certificate
. Services International Kosher Supervision Ltd.
– FDA registration
. Registrar Corp (Virginia, USA),
– biological operator. CCPB (Bologna)
– ISO 9001:2015, SAI Global Assurance (Sydney, Australia),
– BRC Global Standard for Food Safety, Issue 8, SAI Global
– IFS Food Version 6.1, SAI Global,
– ISO 22005:2007, Agroqualità SpA.
Traceability ‘certified’ by RINA
The ISO 22005 certification-issued by RINA Agroqualità to Attianese as of 9/29/15 and renewed until 9/28/21-certifies the following:
– ‘Business traceability for the activities of receiving, processing, storage and sale of peeled and diced canned tomatoes (…), tomato paste packed in tinplate cans and aluminum tubes, and tomato puree in brik.
– Objectives: to support food safety, determine the history and origin of products, facilitate product recall/recall.
– Elements tracked: tomato and concentrate suppliers from Italy, date and quantity of tomatoes and concentrates contributed, tomato variety. Suppliers of salt, citric acid, packaging, processed tomato batches, customers‘. (10)
The perimeter of certification appears to be limited to the specific purpose of excluding the traceability of foreign raw material suppliers, which also, carta canta, has a not insignificant impact on Attianese S.p.A.’s activities. The RINA certification group, in turn, is under investigation by the Genoa Public Prosecutor’s Office for false ship safety certifications. (11)
Tomato origin, the foolproof analysis
Public and private controls on canned tomatoes can and indeed should now make use of an innovative analysis protocol developed right in Italy, at the Stazione Sperimentale per l’Industria delle Conserve Alimentari (SSICA) in Parma. In fact, analysis of the minerals in canned vegetables allows the origin of the tomato used to be traced with 99.9 percent accuracy. (12)
However, the Experimental Station has taken its Plant Preserves Department away from the coordination of Antonio Trifirò, the internationally renowned researcher credited with developing the only method to distinguish honest operators from criminals. (13) And only after repeated requests did its director decide to activate this service. BioChemie Lab in Campi Bisenzui (FI), meanwhile, has equipped itself to perform this type of analysis.
Enough is Enough!
It is enough to carry out the above analysis on samples of canned tomatoes to be taken from the market(retail and HoReCa), in Italy and abroad, to put an end to this #Vergogna that affects a supply chain emblematic of Made in Italy food.
The reputation of the country-system is also in danger of falling apart on the only productive sector that still resists relocation, provides employment in rural areas and creates value. After Petti, Attianese and others, the system needs to be cleaned up once and for all.
Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) Operation ‘Scarlet Two’: tomatoes made in Egypt. TV Today Salerno. 8.6.21, https://www.tvoggisalerno.it/operazione-scarlatto-2-pomodoro-made-in-egitto/
(2) They were selling pesticide-contaminated Egyptian tomatoes in Italy: maxi seizure by Carabinieri. Fanpage. 8.6.21, https://www.fanpage.it/attualita/vendevano-pomodoro-egiziano-contaminato-da-pesticidi-maxi-sequestro-dei-carabinieri/
(3) Criminal Code, Article 444 – Trade in harmful food substances. ‘Whoever possesses for trade, places on the market or distributes for consumption substances intended for food, not counterfeit or adulterated, but dangerous to public health, shall be punished by imprisonment from six months to three years and a fine of not less than 51 euros’
(5) Reg. EC 178/02, Article 19(Food-related obligations: food business operators). Consolidated text as of 5/21/21 on
(6) For more details, see theebook ‘Food security. Mandatory rules and voluntary standards‘ https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/libri/sicurezza-alimentare-regole-cogenti-e-norme-volontarie-il-nuovo-libro-di-dario-dongo
(7) Dario Dongo, Pier Luigi Copparoni. Distributor responsibility, insights. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 5/22/18, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/etichette/responsabilità-del-distributore-approfondimenti
(8) Dario Dongo. Corporate administrative responsibility in the food supply chain. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 6/21/18, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/idee/responsabilità-amministrativa-d-impresa-nella-filiera-alimentare
(9) The distributor shall also have the authority to perform analyses on the samples on hand, preferably relying on accredited laboratories
(10) ISO 22005:2007 certification by RINA Agroqualità to Attianese SpA, http://www.attianeseconserve.com/it/wp-content/uploads/Certificate-ISO-22005.pdf
(11) Marco Grasso. Ship safety, maxi-investigation on Rina: “Certifications fixed even after sea massacres.” Wiretapping. The Daily Fact. 5/22/21, https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/in-edicola/articoli/2021/05/22/limportante-e-che-galleggino-le-carte/6206247/
(12) Dario Dongo. Preserves, an analysis is enough to reveal the origin of tomatoes. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 6/26/20, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/innovazione/conserve-basta-un-analisi-a-rivelare-l-origine-del-pomodoro
(13) Dario Dongo. Tomato Industry and Parma Experimental Station, SSICA. Red alert. #CleanSpades. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 2.5.21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/idee/industria-del-pomodoro-e-stazione-sperimentale-di-parma-ssica-allarme-rosso-vanghepulite
(14) Dario Dongo. Petti canned tomatoes, trade fraud. Maxi-sequestration of RACs. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 4/26/21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/consum-attori/conserve-di-pomodoro-petti-frode-in-commercio-maxi-sequestro-dei-rac
(15) Piennolo DOP tomatoes with alien juice? Attorney Dario Dongo replies. FARE(Food & Agriculture Requirements). 5.7.20, https://www.foodagriculturerequirements.com/archivio-notizie/domande-e-risposte/pomodorini-del-piennolo-dop-con-succo-alieno-risponde-l-avvocato-dario-dongo
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
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