Summer of tight controls for the Carabinieri of the Anti-adulteration and Health Unit (NAS) of Reggio Calabria, who during the summer period intensified checks in the areas with the highest tourist influx in the region. Beach establishments, villages, farmhouses, restaurants, wellness centres, pharmacies and healthcare facilities have come under the scrutiny of investigators to ensure food safety and compliance with health and hygiene standards. The balance of the activity is impressive: 199 structures inspected, 127 found to be irregular, 219 sanctions for a total amount of approximately 210,000 euros, 114 people reported to the administrative authorities and 8 referred to the Judicial Authority.
Seizures and closures in the food sector
The most significant checks concerned the catering sector – from restaurants to supermarkets, from street food to food trucks – where the military seized over four tons of food including meat, fish, cheeses, flours, pasta, bread and various preparations. The products, often in a poor state of preservation or without traceability, were sent for destruction. Due to serious sanitation deficiencies or lack of authorizations, five beach establishments, three food depots, a mini market, two butchers and a bakery were immediately closed. The case of a hypermarket in Reggino is emblematic, where the Carabinieri found 150 kilograms of pasta infested with parasites, which was immediately seized. In a food truck, however, the foods intended for administration – around 20 kg of various preparations – were stored in out-of-use refrigerated cells, exposed to the sun: the activity was suspended immediately.
Violations in social welfare facilities
The operation also affected the delicate sector of assistance to minors and the elderly. Three accommodation communities were closed, lacking authorizations and minimum safety and professionalism requirements. In a facility for unaccompanied foreign minors, the military discovered 30 kg of food in poor condition and without traceability, while another community was still active despite a closure order already issued. Irregularities in the healthcare sector There has been no shortage of violations in the healthcare sector. A dental practice was closed due to lack of authorization and the required structural conditions. Furthermore, at a retailer of dental products, the military seized 710 vials of anesthetics sold illegally, while in a pharmacy 370 packages of drugs without blanks were found, used to obtain fraudulent reimbursements from the National Health Service. Millions in economic damage. The total value of the closed structures is estimated at around 5 million euros, while the seized goods – including food and medicines – amount to 100,000 euros.