Italy labeling requirements: 337,000 Halloween items seized in Brescia

MONDAY, 2 NOVEMBER 2026

The Guardia di Finanza seizes 337,531 items lacking the minimum information in Italian: 11 parties reported, fines of up to 305,000 euros. What the rule requires and what to fix in the factory order.

Italy labeling requirements are set by article 6 of the Consumer Code, the rule the Guardia di Finanza in Brescia applied in its pre-Halloween checks, which ended with 337,531 items seized for lacking the minimum information in Italian. The statement of 2 November 2026 concerns retail shops, but missing information almost always starts upstream, when the goods are ordered and produced.

What the checks in Brescia found

The officers inspected shops in the city and in eight towns of the province: Bagnolo Mella, Leno, Montichiari, Esine, Darfo Boario Terme, Nave, Mazzano and Gavardo. The seized goods include costumes, masks, accessories, decorations and party supplies, as well as stationery, costume jewellery, cosmetics and textile items.

The statement lists three irregularities: the mandatory minimum information in Italian was missing, the mandatory warnings were not compliant and some textile labels were wrong. The charges refer to European rules and to Legislative Decree 206/2005, the Italian Consumer Code.

• Items seized: 337,531, in the weeks before Halloween 2026.
• Parties reported to the authorities: 11, with administrative fines of up to 305,000 euros in total.
• Area: Brescia and 8 towns of the province, checks announced on 2 November 2026.
• Fine under article 12 of the Consumer Code: from 516 to 25,823 euros, scaled to the list price and the number of units on sale.

In the same statement the Guardia di Finanza also reports checks on undeclared work in bars and restaurants, with separate fines of up to 107,000 euros: they do not concern the goods and should not be added to the 305,000 euros.

Italy labeling requirements: the six minimum indications

Article 6 states that products intended for consumers and sold in Italy, or their packaging, must show clearly and legibly at least six indications: the legal or commercial name of the product; the name, company name or brand and the registered office of the manufacturer or of an importer established in the European Union; the country of origin, if outside the Union; any materials or substances that may harm people, property or the environment; the materials and processing methods, where they determine the quality of the product; the instructions, precautions and intended use, where they matter for safety.

Article 9 adds that all information intended for consumers must be given at least in Italian. If it appears in several languages, the Italian text must be no less visible and legible than the others. Article 11 bans the sale of products lacking these indications, and article 12 sets the fine.

Why the problem starts before the shelf

Seasonal items share one feature: they are ordered months in advance, often in large quantities, in packaging designed for several markets. A mask or a decoration labelled only in English or Chinese reaches the shop exactly as it left the factory, and there is little time to relabel between customs clearance and sale.

The Brescia case concerns retailers, and the statement says neither where the goods came from nor who imported them. The figure therefore does not prove any responsibility of importers. It does suggest that missing information is a supply chain defect: if it is not in the order, nobody adds it later.

What it means for importers

For those importing consumer goods, promotional items or gadgets, letter b of article 6 is the most delicate: when the manufacturer is outside the Union, the packaging must name an importer established in the Union. In practice that name is often your own.

It is worth treating the six indications as a product specification, like colour and material: Italian text supplied to the factory, packaging artwork approved before production, spot checks during the pre-shipment inspection. For textiles, add the composition label, which in Brescia proved wrong on part of the goods.

The fine of 516 to 25,823 euros grows with the number of units on sale, so it weighs most on large orders. On a shipment of seasonal items it is worth comparing the cost of a label planned at the factory with that of a lot blocked just before the selling season.

The next season: Christmas and Carnival

Halloween is over, but the same categories of goods, namely decorations, costumes, toys and gift items, return to the shelves for Christmas and Carnival. Orders for Carnival 2027 are often already in production: it is worth checking the packaging now.

With La Merce, an order of seasonal items from China starts with the six indications of article 6 already written in Italian on the approved packaging and checked at the factory: the way to avoid ending up among the 337,531 pieces seized in Brescia.

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