On December 9, 2025, Huffington Post published an article by attorney Maurizio De Salvo describing a new bill — the “agro-food protection act” — aimed at strengthening rules against food fraud and misleading labeling.
The draft law introduces two criminal offences: “food fraud”, punishable by 2 months to 1 year in prison plus fines, and “sale of food with misleading labels”, carrying penalties up to 18 months’ imprisonment and fines reaching €20,000.
The reform aims to enhance transparency and traceability across the entire agri-food supply chain, safeguard the value of “Made in Italy”, and protect consumers from deceptive practices. It also provides for penalty scaling based on the severity of violation and company turnover — thus avoiding unfair burdens on small businesses.
This legislative package marks a major step forward for consumer protection and for reinforcing trust in the Italian food supply chain.
