“Agri-Food Protection” Bill Approved to Ensure Greater Transparency and Safety for Food Products

“Agri-Food Protection” Bill Approved to Ensure Greater Transparency and Safety for Food Products

On 15 April the Italian Chamber of Deputies definitively approved the bill entitled “Sanctioning provisions for the protection of Italian food products”, which had already passed review by the Italian Senate.

This legislative measure aims to increase the transparency and traceability of products throughout the entire supply chain, recognizing the importance of providing citizens with as complete information as possible, also for the protection of public health.

It also introduces a comprehensive reorganization of criminal protection in the agri-food sector. In fact, the Italian Criminal Code is updated with the introduction of offences against the agri-food economy and new criminal categories, such as food fraud and the trade of food products bearing misleading signs, replacing previous offences related to the sale of non-genuine products. The provisions also extend to unlawful conduct carried out through digital tools and online networks, thereby strengthening consumer protection.

Below are the new deterrent measures introduced by the legislation:

• Food fraud: penalizes those who sell food or beverages knowing that they are not authentic or that they originate from places different from those declared.
• Trade of food products with misleading signs: punishes the use of trademarks or indications capable of misleading consumers as to the quality or quantity of products.
• Aggravating circumstance of “agro-piracy”: applies when the unlawful activity is carried out in an organized and continuous manner.
• Quantity-based aggravating circumstance: applies where particularly large quantities are involved.
• Aggravating circumstance of organic fraud: concerns cases where non-organic products are marketed as organic.

Penalties are also increased for the offence of counterfeiting geographical indications or designations of origin of agri-food products (Article 517-quater of the Italian Criminal Code): imprisonment rises from a maximum of 2 years to a range between 1 and 4 years, while fines increase from a maximum of €20,000 to between €10,000 and €50,000. In addition, mandatory confiscation is introduced, providing for the seizure of products, assets involved in or derived from the offence, and the tools used to commit it.

The protection of geographical indications represents a sector of great importance for the agri-food economy, and its reinforcement was necessary: according to the latest Ismea-Qualivita report, in 2024 the sector generated a turnover of €20.7 billion, of which €12.3 billion came from exports.

Administrative sanctions have also been revised: they will be calibrated according to the seriousness of the violation and the turnover of the companies involved.

To ensure more effective and efficient controls, a “Steering Committee for Administrative Controls” is established—chaired by the Italian Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (MASAF)—and supervisory bodies such as the Central Inspectorate for the Protection of Quality and Fraud Repression of Agri-Food Products (ICQRF) are strengthened.

The text of the bill is not yet available; therefore, we will provide a more detailed analysis once it is published. In any case, the reform demonstrates how institutions are increasingly attentive to protecting the agri-food sector, safeguarding consumers, and promoting high-quality production, also through more rigorous and effective regulatory tools.

Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of MASAF, explained the rationale of the reform as follows: “defending our agri-food system is fundamental; it means defending Made in Italy, which around the world is a symbol of quality and excellence”.

Do not hesitate to contact if you wish to understand more of how these developments may affect business and which measures to adopt.