Environmental checks targeting the Sarno river basin have led to action against two food-preserving companies in Nocera Inferiore and Mercato San Severino.

The inspections, reported on October 2, 2026, focused on industrial wastewater discharges. Investigators reported violations of environmental rules on discharges, with one site placed under seizure pending laboratory testing.

Two companies checked

The checks targeted two canning companies, one in Nocera Inferiore and one in Mercato San Severino.

ANSA summarized the findings as: "Violazioni della normativa ambientale in materia di scarichi di acque reflue industriali sono state accertate in due aziende conserviere."

The reports do not identify the companies by name.

For one of the cases, investigators cited violations concerning industrial wastewater discharges under Article 137 of Legislative Decree 152/2006.

Fosso Imperatore and Mercato San Severino: different measures

The two locations were treated differently by investigators.

At the Fosso Imperatore facility, the plant was not seized because production had ended for the season. Investigators reported no immediate risk of repeated pollution from ongoing production.

In Mercato San Severino, investigators identified an unauthorized discharge. The affected area was placed under seizure pending chemical and biological testing.

The chemical and biological results for the seized discharge were not yet available in the reporting acquired. The reports do not quantify the discharge or confirm its measured impact on the Sarno's water quality.

Who carried out the operation

The operation was coordinated by the Prosecutor's Office of Nocera Inferiore.

It involved the Carabinieri, the Guardia di Finanza, the Carabinieri environmental unit, Arpac and Ispra.

The checks formed part of an environmental-monitoring protocol involving the Prosecutor Generals' Offices of the Naples and Salerno Courts of Appeal.

A wider investigation beyond two plants

The Sarno pollution investigations extend beyond individual companies to municipalities and the wider river basin.

Regional environmental agency Arpac describes earlier investigations into the causes and degree of pollution in the Sarno basin, including inspections of companies and municipalities and sampling of river water.

In that earlier work, Arpac analyses reported very high concentrations of Escherichia coli along the river, described as an indicator of fecal contamination.

That context matters for readers in the Sorrento Peninsula and the Sarno plain: the October checks are not an isolated case, but part of longer-running scrutiny of pollution pressures on the river system.

What is established — and what is not

What the available reporting establishes:

  • Two canning firms in Nocera Inferiore and Mercato San Severino were inspected for industrial wastewater discharges.
  • Violations were reported under Article 137 of Legislative Decree 152/2006.
  • One area in Mercato San Severino was seized pending chemical and biological analysis.
  • The Fosso Imperatore facility was not seized, with investigators citing the seasonal end of production and no immediate risk of repeated pollution from ongoing production.

What is not established:

  • The names of the companies involved have not been released in the available reporting.
  • Laboratory results for the seized area have not been published.
  • The reports describe alleged or detected violations and investigative measures; they do not establish final criminal responsibility.