An Italian seafood company was expelled from Conxemar's international frozen seafood fair in Vigo after distributing promotional brochures featuring nude women alongside images of seafood and sexually suggestive slogans. The organiser announced the company's immediate and definitive expulsion on 7 October 2026, describing the advertising as sexist and degrading.

The company, La Selvaggia, was exhibiting at the 27th edition of Conxemar, held at the Instituto Ferial de Vigo (IFEVI) in Galicia from 6 to 8 October. Its promotional material included the slogan “No todas las almejas son iguales”, meaning “Not all clams are the same”.

The campaign triggered criticism from political figures and prompted the fair organiser to remove the company from the event.

Promotional Brochures Featuring Nude Models

La Selvaggia, an Italian business specialising in clams and other seafood products associated with the Adriatic, used photographs of nude women in promotional material designed to attract attention to its products.

The images reportedly placed models in fishing-related settings, including among fishing nets and alongside seafood. The brochures combined these visuals with suggestive wording, including the slogan referring to clams.

The company had also promoted the material on social media before the fair, inviting prospective customers to visit its stand in Vigo.

The campaign drew criticism from attendees and political representatives, who questioned the use of women's bodies to market seafood products at an international trade event.

Conxemar Announces Immediate and Permanent Expulsion

Conxemar responded by announcing that La Selvaggia would be removed from the fair and would not be permitted to continue participating.

In its statement, the organisation condemned the use of women's images as a sexist and degrading commercial device, arguing that the advertising was incompatible with its principles of equality, dignity and respect.

The decision was described as immediate and definitive. On 8 October, Conxemar president Eloy Alvariza García reiterated that the company would not return to the event, saying the matter had been resolved by the organisation.

The expulsion took place during the three-day trade fair, which brings together companies and professionals from the international frozen seafood industry.

Italian Ministry Distances Itself From the Campaign

Following the discovery of the promotional material, Conxemar contacted Italy's Ministry responsible for the national exhibition space in which La Selvaggia was participating.

According to Conxemar's statement, the ministry said it had not been aware of the campaign, distanced itself from the company's advertising and rejected it.

The ministry's reported response was significant because La Selvaggia was exhibiting within the Italian delegation's space at the event. Conxemar said it communicated its decision to the Italian authorities and proceeded with the expulsion.

Political Reactions to the Advertising

The campaign also prompted criticism from political representatives in Galicia.

Carmela Silva, president of the Galician Socialist Party (PSdeG) and a councillor in Vigo, described the incident as “absolutely intolerable” and welcomed the action taken against the company.

José Ramón Gómez Besteiro, the PSdeG's secretary-general, also criticised the use of women as a sales device. In a social media statement, he argued that such advertising had no place in a society committed to gender equality and called for the brochures to be withdrawn.

The reactions added a political dimension to the controversy, although the immediate institutional response came from Conxemar itself.

A Commercial Decision With Wider Implications

The case has raised questions about the boundaries of promotional material at professional trade fairs, particularly when advertising relies on sexualised imagery to sell unrelated products.

Conxemar's decision was based on its stated standards of equality, dignity and respect. The organisation made clear that La Selvaggia would no longer participate in the event.

The incident also demonstrated that exhibitors remain subject to the rules and expectations of the events in which they participate, even when their promotional campaigns have been developed and circulated before the fair opens.