The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party has drafted a letter addressed to President Metsola, denouncing the sale of «Italian-style» products in the European Parliament’s supermarket in Brussels.
Following earlier accusations against the European Commission for «cancelling Christmas,» Italian conservative forces have now focused their criticism on the European Parliament, holding it responsible for permitting the sale of counterfeit «Italian-style» items within its Brussels premises.
On Tuesday, the Brothers of Italy party’s parliamentary delegation declared their intention to officially send a letter to President Roberta Metsola addressing the misuse of the Italian flag and naming on certain pasta sauce bottles available at the Parliament building’s market on the first floor.
“Using symbols or references to Italian origin on products not produced in Italy could be considered misleading and subject to legal action,” stated Carlo Fidanza, head of the Brothers of Italy delegation, in a statement shared with Euronews, citing an EU regulation that forbids deceptive advertising.
This letter comes after Italian Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida posted on Facebook images of some sauces bottled in Belgium but labeled with Italy’s tricolor and Italian-sounding product names, including one representing the popular carbonara sauce.
“I requested an immediate investigation be launched,” Lollobrigida wrote on Tuesday.
Euronews confirmed that these bottled sauces are indeed available for purchase in the Parliament’s food market.
The labels do not explicitly state that the product is produced in Italy but indicate that some of the ingredients originate there, justifying the inclusion of the Italian flag.
Notably, the carbonara sauce bottle contains ingredients such as heavy cream and pancetta, which deviate from the traditional authentic recipe that calls for guanciale instead of pancetta—and excludes cream altogether—but this aspect was not the main issue raised by Lollobrigida.
This represents the latest food-related campaign led by Meloni’s party, which has previously criticized others for applying meat-associated terms like “burger” and “sausage” to plant-based foods and has even backed legislation forbidding the production of cultured meat within Italy.
Minister Lollobrigida also has history with this topic; two years earlier, he triggered controversy by asserting that «In Italy, the poor eat better than the wealthy.»
Prepared sauces sold in jars are generally disfavored in Italy, where locals take pride in traditional culinary methods and premium ingredients.
In September 2024, US company Heinz announced a carbonara-in-a-can product, causing significant uproar in southern Europe, with renowned Michelin-starred chef Alessandro Pipero labeling the canned pasta as so dreadful it equates to “cat food.”