Promotion of the “made in Italy” brand became one of priorities of Giorgia Meloni's government. Proves change of name of the Ministry of Economic Developmentwhich operated in previous offices, on Ministry of Companies and Made in Italy.
School for the promotion of Italian food
The Ministry of Education has introduced it from the next school year new class profile in high schools, also under the name “made in Italy”. They are supposed to stay there trained specialists in the field of domestic food promotion. For now, enrollment in classes with this profile remains below expectations, the media noted.
One of the elements food adulteration is a global phenomenon, referred to in English as “Italian sounding”. It's fraudulent marketing trickconsisting in using Italian names or inventing names similar to them, using typical images from Italy or the flag of this country on the label to suggest that the products come from Italy.
This phenomenon has been closely monitored by the authorities for over 10 years. Groups of experts have been established to monitor this phenomenon.
The most frequently counterfeited products
Cheeses are among the most frequently counterfeited products: Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano. As experts note, the production of their fakes is greater than the originals. There are many meats among them fake Parma ham.
Italian cuisine is a victim of its own success
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Francesco Lollobrigida, in turn wants discipline Italian restaurants around the world.
“Enough with restaurants that are supposedly Italian but use foreign products; enough with chefs who cannot cook in Italian and are the object of ridicule,” he said in a press interview.
According to the head of the ministry, rules should be developed to ensure this protect the original Italian gastronomy in the world and its standards.
As he explained, this must be done by introducing requirements that will have to be met in restaurants to be considered truly Italian.
The European food capital
In Parma, where Parmigiano Reggiano and the famous ham come from, the promotion of local specialties is particularly visible at almost every step. This city in products it is considered the Italian or even European capital of food.
The headquarters is located there European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). This institution offers independent scientific advice in areas related to food risks. The Office issues opinions on existing and emerging food-related risks; they are then taken into account in EU regulations aimed at protecting consumers.
Whole Parmafull of small shops selling local specialties and traditional restaurants, sometimes run for many generations, is an important center for the promotion of Italian food and culinary traditions.
The basis is customer education
“The fight against the phenomenon of counterfeiting products and +Italian sounding+ should be carried out, among other things, by raising awareness of the traditions of culinary culture,” Alice Andrei from the management of the organizing office of the largest food fair in Italy, Cibus in Parma, told PAP. She added that foreigners, especially, should be provided with the necessary knowledge to encourage them to eat original Italian products.
The PAP interlocutor noted great interest from buyers from Poland. “These are some of our most interesting, dynamically developing partners,” she admitted.
This year's Cibus fair gathered about 3,000 producers of Italian food, which was a record for this event. Companies producing Italian specialties they presented it in eight large pavilions. Another record was also broken: over a thousand foreign buyers representing large sales chains were present. There were also customers from Poland.
Sylwia Wysocka from Parma
