Italian agricultural association Coldiretti has submitted a complaint to the country's competition authorities against Conad Adriatica – part of major supermarket chain Conad – over claims that the division sold Spanish peaches as part of a promotion on Italian fruit.
The peaches, which were reportedly on sale in stores for €1.00 a piece, were allegedly marketed widely as yellow-fleshed Italian peaches, despite originating from Spain.
The fact that the case has occurred in the heart of Italy's largest stonefruit growing area, Emilia-Romagna, has caused great consternation among the country's major stonefruit suppliers, who already feel under huge pressure from their Spanish competitors.
'The sale of sub-standard fruit as the start of the Italian season approaches is highly damaging to our business and unfair on consumers,' said one leading producer.
Coldiretti's offices in Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena and Rimini have joined consumer organisations Adoc and Adiconsum in calling for an urgent investigation into the case and the suspension of Conad's campaign, which the group argues has misled consumers and jeopardised Italian peach producers.
Coldiretti has also alleged that the fruit on sale was in a different size category to the Italian fruit being promoted on leaflets distributed to consumers.
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