Italian products, from wine and olive oil to Mozzarella di Bufala, Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto, are well known, desirable, and expensive, so when we purchase a well-known Italian brand name we should get what we pay for ... right? Well that may not in-fact be the case.
According to a CBS 60 Minutes story on what is called the "AgroMafia", 50% of extra virgin olive oil on Italian market shelves and 70% - 80% on American store shelves are substandard, sometimes dangerous products black-marketed under well known brand names by the mafia and/or camorra. The problem is not confined to just olive oil, but wine, cheeses, tomatoes, ham and many other Italian products are also being exploited.
According to a CBS 60 Minutes story on what is called the "AgroMafia", 50% of extra virgin olive oil on Italian market shelves and 70% - 80% on American store shelves are substandard, sometimes dangerous products black-marketed under well known brand names by the mafia and/or camorra. The problem is not confined to just olive oil, but wine, cheeses, tomatoes, ham and many other Italian products are also being exploited.
For those with seed or nut allergies, be extremely careful when purchasing Italian products, particularly olive oil, because cheaper seed or nut oils (e.g. sunflower oil) are often used to dilute or replace the extra virgin olive oil. For information on how you can avoid buying and overpaying for substandard products from Italy, watch this 60 Minutes Overtime video:
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