The Food Information and Control Agency (AICA) issued 382 penalties in 2023, a 40.4% rise over 2022, affecting 149 offending companies. A large share of these penalties targeted wholesalers, typically for failing to meet payment deadlines agreed with producers. Since its creation in August 2013, the agency has imposed 3,708 fines totaling just over 15.7 million euros, with more than 13 million euros already collected (AICA report, 2023).
In the same forum, the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Luis Planas, explained that transforming this body into a state agency will materially boost its inspection capacity. He did not specify when the new entity would be ready, but said it would feature a larger structure with more human and material resources to carry out its duties (AICA update, 2023).
The Government is examining ways to accelerate the creation of the new state agency. Two options are under consideration: establishing it through a bespoke legal text or adding an extra provision to the forthcoming law on the prevention of food losses and waste, currently undergoing amendments in the Congress of Deputies until February 10. Planas indicated that the latter option would be the faster route during a recent presentation of measures responding to farmers’ and ranchers’ concerns (AICA briefing, 2023).
Payment Deadlines and Compliance
The 2023 penalities tallied by the AICA show that nearly half, 48%, stemmed from late payments, primarily at the wholesale level. Other common penalties included absent contracts or missing essential elements within contracts, such as the price of the traded product. Unilateral, unagreed contract changes and value destruction across the food chain are also listed among principal penalty reasons (AICA annual review, 2023).
By sector, the balance sheet highlights reveal the fruits and vegetables segment bore the most infractions with 165 fines, followed by the wine sector with 96, olive oil with 40, cattle with 37, table olives with 19, and dairy with 17. These figures reflect inspections and enforcement actions taken in the prior year (AICA sector breakdown, 2023).
Additionally, autonomous regional bodies with enforcement responsibilities in the food chain reported 167 penalties last year, a 33.6% increase from 2022, with the bulk falling on food industry companies. All penalties arise from official inspections conducted by AICA and the autonomous communities. Beyond these routine actions, AICA received 32 complaints, up 39.1% from 2022, while the autonomous regions logged 18 other filings. These numbers illustrate the ongoing effort to strengthen oversight across the supply chain (regional reports, 2023).