IN BREVE
- The National Association Città del Vino approves the Informative Circular on Law No. 75 of April 21, 2026 for the protection of agri-food heritage.
- President Angelo Radica emphasizes the strengthening of measures against fraud and counterfeiting in the wine sector.
- The law expands checks on commercial communication, including deceptive practices and digital tools.
- New food fraud offenses enter the Penal Code, with impacts on public grants and European funds.
- Difficulties are noted for small businesses in adapting to the new digital labels required by the European Union.
The National Association Città del Vino welcomes the publication of the Informative Circular relating to Law No. 75 of April 21, 2026 on the protection of agri-food heritage. The circular was published on May 14 and introduces operational changes for the wine sector. Particularly regarding the fight against counterfeiting and misleading communications.
Commenting on the measure is the association’s president, Angelo Radica, who believes the regulation represents a strengthening of protection tools for Italian wine and territorial denominations. “The regulation provides for both increased penalties against counterfeiting and especially greater control over what is stated on labels and disseminated in communication and marketing activities,” Radica states.
PROTECTION OF AGRI-FOOD HERITAGE
According to Città del Vino, wine is increasingly recognized as national economic, territorial, and reputational heritage. The law expands the scope of checks to include not only material fraud, but also all those practices capable of compromising the credibility of denominations and consumer trust.
Among the aspects highlighted by the new regulation are the so-called “misleading signs“, with reference also to digital communication tools and online promotion. Specifically, the law considers marketplaces, websites, social networks, evocative images, territorial references, packaging, and commercial naming.
“The law introduces new provisions relating to food fraud and so-called ‘misleading signs’, also attributing relevance to: digital communication; marketplaces; websites; social networks; evocative images; territorial references; packaging and commercial naming,” Radica emphasizes.
PENALTIES AND RISKS FOR BUSINESSES
Among the main changes is the inclusion of the reference to “agri-food heritage” in the Penal Code. Additionally, the introduction of the offense of “food fraud” also applied to commercial communication of wine. The consequences for businesses may also concern access to public grants, European funds, authorizations, and business activities.
“Specifically, a significant step forward is made with the inclusion of the reference to ‘agri-food heritage’ in the Penal Code. The introduction of the offense of ‘food fraud’ also referring to commercial communication of wine which may also result in exclusion from public grants, EU funds, authorizations, and business activities,” states the president of Città del Vino.
DIGITAL LABELS AND COSTS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
The association also draws attention to the difficulties related to the introduction of new digital labels required by the European Union. In particular, small wine businesses must bear costs for software platforms, e-label management, and updating of QR codes associated with products.
“For small businesses, the investment for creating, managing, and printing new labels, in addition to software platforms for e-labels, represents a significant economic burden.” Radica observes.
The concern also regards the clarity of information accessible via QR code. According to what the association highlights, the European Union considers the simple presence of the code on the label insufficient without clear indications of the content accessible to the consumer.
“We are concerned because according to the EU, the simple presence of an unidentified QR code on a label is not sufficient. In all cases, consumers must be able to understand what type of information can be found ‘behind’ QR codes or other electronic means,” Radica concludes.
