An Alicante-based company is under investigation by the Guardia Civil for illegally selling bananas as Plátano de Canarias, a protected geographical indication (PGI) product. The investigation revealed that in 2023 alone, the company sold nearly 2,000 tons of bananas, falsely marketing some of them as the premium Canary Islands variety, despite having its authorization to do so suspended.
The case began following a complaint from the Association of Plátano de Canarias Producers, which warned that the company was misusing the PGI label and selling imported bananas, including from Portugal, as Plátano de Canarias. This constitutes a serious case of economic fraud, as the price of Plátano de Canarias is more than twice that of regular bananas.
SEPRONA, the Guardia Civil’s environmental protection unit, conducted inspections at the company’s storage and ripening facilities in Alicante and in retail outlets in Alicante, Valencia, Vigo, and Bilbao. They confirmed that batches of bananas from Madeira were being mislabeled and sold as the protected variety. Additionally, the company was found to have falsified documents and invoices, concealing sales from both the certifying authority and the administration, which had previously suspended its authorization due to earlier irregularities.
As a result, the company is facing charges for two crimes against industrial property, one for document forgery, and another related to market and consumer protection. The case has been referred to the Court of Instruction in San Vicente del Raspeig. Administrative proceedings have also been initiated for violations of EU Regulation 2024/1143 on geographical indications, which could lead to fines ranging from €4,001 to €3,000,000.
The operation was carried out by SEPRONA of the Alicante Guardia Civil Command, in collaboration with the Valencian Government’s Food Quality Control Service and with data exchanged through Europol.
