Italian Court Says Serving Frozen Food Without Telling People Is Fraud

Italy takes its food very seriously, and its top court has just ruled that it is illegal for restaurants to serve frozen food without disclosing that fact to customers.

According to The Local, this case started when government inspectors found a restaurant in Milan had a freezer stocked with food, but had not put anything on the menu about any of its dishes being frozen. The restaurateur's local court found him guilty of fraud for attempting to deceive customers. The restaurateur appealed twice, and both times the verdict was upheld.

Most recently he went before Italy's top civil court and argued that he could not have committed fraud because when the inspectors found the frozen food, there were no customers in the restaurant to deceive. The courts dismissed that argument, saying that the presence of all those frozen meals indicated at the very least an intent to commit commercial fraud.

Serving frozen food is legal in Italy, but it must be disclosed to customers. Many restaurants don't admit to reheating frozen food, however. They can maximize profits by serving reheated frozen foods, and the customers assume the food is being prepared fresh.

Restaurants caught serving frozen food as fresh can face fines and even jail time. The Milanese restaurant owner who just lost his last appeal has been fined 2,000 euros and legal fees. The freezer full of frozen foods may well have cost him a lot more than just serving fresh food in the first place.

One way to make sure your food is fresh is to make it yourself. Check out the 25 best hot and cold pasta recipes to make this summer.