Farmers unveil 100% Italian oil label

(ANSA) - Rome, February 11- Italian farming associations have developed a label that national producers of extra virgin olive oil can display on bottles to show that they are 100% Italian, aiming to fight a growing threat from fake foreign-sourced products.
    Fraudulent oil is estimated to cost the sector 1.5 billion euros per year. Last week Italian police said they had discovered a network of oil producers that sold 2,000 tons of Greek and Spanish oil in 2014 and 2015 as fully Italian, the latest in a string of similar cases in recent years.
    "Quality extra virgin olive oil is the jewel in the crown of our agriculture," Dino Scanavino, president of Italian farming association Cia, told a news conference.
    "Olive oil pays a price beyond measure for a reputation threatened by instances of fraud and adulteration," he said.
    The farming groups said the labelling project aimed to highlight bottles of Italian oil that met a list of specific conditions.