A frightening food fraud involves the fresh egg sector in Italy. There are 9 suspended companies that will be closed, and of which we consumers cannot know the name.

Starting from this September, the Nas have in fact launched an operation to control the egg supply chain, called “Operation Tuorlo”. The result is worrying.

The carabinieri found 101 violations, some criminal.
They denounced 7 people who worked on ovicultural farms. Here is what was discovered.

FRESH BUT DANGEROUS EGGS
HERE’S THE RESULT OF THE NAS CONTROLS ON THE CHAIN

The Nas sampled more than 370 businesses, finding irregularities in 66 locations where fresh eggs are stored or produced. They confiscated 32,000 eggs , 4,600 hens and 30 tons of feed that did not comply with the regulations.

Here is what was discovered.

• Animals that lived in overcrowded conditions.
• Eggs sold with qualities other than actual ones.
  This means that free-range eggs were, for example, raised in cages.
• Impossibility of tracing the origin of the eggs.
• Feed stored in poor hygienic conditions and not compliant with regulations.
• Environments lacking hygiene and safety for both animals and workers.
• Eggs kept in abusive structures.
  

  WHERE ARE THE COMPANIES THAT HAVE DONE ILLEGALS

One of the suspended companies is from Arezzo.
The Nas found 20,000 hens crammed into cages that made it impossible for them to move, but the company said it produced “free-range” eggs.

A similar situation in Viterbo: dead hens left in the middle of the living ones, critical hygienic conditions for both animals and workers.

Other sanctions in Latina, Frosinone and Potenza. Here a producer used non-potable water for animals.
In Perugia, an organic egg farm had problems with insects and mice.
In 5 farms in Cagliari, poor hygienic conditions, out-of-date registers, unsafe facilities.
An illegal deposit in Palermo.
6 companies fined in Genoa, Florence, Livorno, Pescara and Salerno.