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Deconstructing ‘Agromafie’: A Case Law Analysis of the Interplay of Organised and Corporate Crime in Food Frauds in Italy.

Rizzuti, Alice

Authors



Abstract

Food frauds regularly gain media and institutional attention worldwide due to associated health risks and the impact they have on trust in the food industry. In Italy, media, NGOs, and farmers’ associations tend to consider food fraud and, more broadly, food crimes as an issue of ‘agromafie’, suggesting the infiltration of the agri-food sector by mafia-type criminal associations. This article deconstructs this narrative by drawing on the findings of a case law analysis of decisions of the Italian Supreme Court related to food fraud cases for the period 2011-2022. The article describes how food fraud is prosecuted and sentenced as well as providing an overview of the food fraud activities, offences, criminal actors and their modus operandi contained in these court cases. It shows that the main perpetrators of food fraud are legitimate food firms, often judicially framed as organised crime conspirators. Only few cases relate to the involvement of mafia groups. The article ends with a discussion of the benefits and pitfalls of framing food fraud either as a problem of ‘agromafie’ or as a form of corporate food crime.

Citation

Rizzuti, A. (2023). Deconstructing ‘Agromafie’: A Case Law Analysis of the Interplay of Organised and Corporate Crime in Food Frauds in Italy. Studi sulla questione criminale, 103-120. https://doi.org/10.7383/109487

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Nov 16, 2023
Online Publication Date Jan 30, 2024
Publication Date Sep 1, 2023
Deposit Date Jan 26, 2024
Publicly Available Date Mar 2, 2025
Journal Studi sulla Questione Criminale
Electronic ISSN 1828-4973
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Issue 3
Pages 103-120
DOI https://doi.org/10.7383/109487
Keywords Food fraud; Organised crime; Corporate crime
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4449816

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©2023 The author. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the copyright holder





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