Organic-scandal hits Denmark
Case of systematic fraud in goods that are sold with false organics labels, is now spreading to Denmark
An Italian organic scandal is now spreading to Denmark: Pet foods suspected of being false organic label in Italy, has been sold to Denmark, writes Food Ministry.
The review of financial statements in connection with the unraveling of the Italian case of fraud named 'The Puss in Boots'.
nature of business the Board following the case closely to ensure that any feed with false certificates on the Danish market will be removed and stripped of organic status assures the Ministry of Food.
- It is crucial to the ecology that consumers trust the organic label. Therefore we keep a close eye on the Italian case draws lines of Danish goods. And if it does, we will not hesitate to intervene ', writes Minister for Food Mette Gjerskov in a statement.
Eco-chief and directors arrested
The scandal began to roll in early December. Italian police arrested seven persons who were suspected of contributing to fraud with eco-labels for several years.
Among those arrested were executives from several major food companies in Italy and an official who was responsible for issuing eco-certification in the Italian region of Marche.
They are suspected of having worked together to put bogus organic labels on plain manufactured products, which could be sold at a much higher price through a network of wholesale companies.
According to the Italian authorities were scammers spread into a network of several cities and they are suspected of fraud with 700,000 tons of fake organic feed sold to numerous countries in Europe.
The food is eaten
Much of the counterfeit products were feed to organic production, made from commonly cultivated crops purchased in Italy and Romania.
The feed material is suspected to have been delivered to Denmark in the period 2007 - 2011, and they have long since used up. Analyses of feed materials have not shown the content of pesticides and GMOs.
Feed materials that may be implicated in the fraud case has come to Denmark through foreign trading partners. Yet there are no products were found from the case in Denmark, but the Italian authorities have seized suspected feed.
In the Italian case has also revealed cheating with organic food for humans, but to our knowledge, none of these ended up in Denmark.