Officers from Nas, Italy’s food fraud police squad, inspected 600 sites across the country as part of the ‘Quiet Summer 2015’ operation and found that 45 percent had flouted the law, Ansa reported.

Seventeen of the sites have been closed down. Sites inspected included hotels, campsites and farm stays.

Some 10,000 bottles of wine were seized from one farm stay in the Venice area, while 100kg of meat and fish, which had been incorrectly frozen, were found at another near Bari, in Puglia.

Meanwhile, 300 bottles of fake champagne were found at sites in Emilia Romagna and Campania.

Italy’s Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin said the operation was carried out in an effort to combat those who put people’s health at risk as well as to safeguard the ‘Made in Italy’ brand.

“Italian and foreign tourists expect the best from our country; quality products prepared according to the Italian traditional way,” she was quoted by Ansa as saying.

“We have strict laws and controls that work. We must try even harder to protect the thousands of honest producers that invest enormous time and resources.”