French producers, baffled by the flood of “French origin” kiwis on the market, initially alerted officials. While French kiwis retail for just over a dollar (€0.70), The Guardian reports, Italian sell at 75 cents (€0.50). Fraudsters were apparently making 30 cents (€0.20) on each kiwi sold. French producers were also perturbed by the fact that Italian kiwis are sprayed with pesticides prohibited in France. “Unlike the Italians, we don’t use anti-spoiling fungicides after harvesting which conserve them for several months,” Francois Lafitte, president of the French kiwi growers’ association, told AFP.

Source: National Post March 27, 2019 16:30 UTC