Sorrento, illegal food shipments: 240 frozen pizzas seized on their way to a restaurant

Sorrento – A car carrying 240 pizzas that were supposed to remain frozen was headed to a restaurant in Sorrento. However, the vehicle used was a standard Fiat Panda passenger car, with no refrigeration system or internal insulation capable of keeping the products at temperatures well below freezing, as required by law.

European legislation on cold

The legal reference is clear. Directive 89/108 of December 21, 1988, sets the freezing point at -18°C. During transport and local distribution, only limited upward fluctuations are permitted, and in any case, no more than 3°C. On Tuesday evening, when the small car was stopped in Sorrento, the temperature was still approaching 40°C. With the departure from Nola, respecting the cold chain appears difficult to sustain.

The blockade on the coast

The vehicle was intercepted by officers from the Sorrento police station. The officers, engaged in routine surveillance of the area, noticed the Panda heavily loaded with boxes: the driver was even having difficulty steering.

The inspections revealed that each container contained sixteen pizzas, presented as frozen. The intervention of the ASL Napoli 3 Sud staff responsible for food safety was therefore requested.

Seizure and sanctions

The local health authority (ASL) immediately seized the entire shipment: 240 pizzas, worth just a few dozen euros, which would have ended up—at much higher prices—on the tables of the destination restaurant. Both the driver and the company he worked for, based in the Caserta area and with a warehouse in Nola, were fined.