PARTNERSHIP Italy - UK

PARTNERSHIP | Winter 2019 12 Enjoy European Quality Food Protecting and promoting product food names in Europe E njoy European Quality Food, a three years long project financed by the European Union, is an informative campaign to promote food products protected by the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), PGI (Protected Geographical Indication), TSG (Traditional Speciality Guaranteed) and DOCG (Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination of Origin) designations. Six Italian organisations are part of the initiative: Consortium for the Protection of Valpadana Provolone, Consortium for the Protection of Asti DOCG, Consortium for the Protection of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, Consortium Vino Nobile Montepulciano DOCG, the Association of Tuscan Olive Oil Producers (APOT) and Latteria Soligo. The project was presented in London on 20th November 2019. For the occasion, the ICCIUK organised a round table at the Italian Institute of Culture addressed to food and drink journalists, trade professionals and institutions. Enrico Franceschini, writer and London correspondent of La Repubblica, led the discussion panel composed of: Libero Giovanni Stradiotti, President of Consorzio Tutela Provolone Valpadana; Stefano Ricagno, Vice-President of Consorzio Tutela Asti DOCG; and Giulia Pussini, Events Manager for Consorzio Prosecco DOCG. Giorgio Locatelli, Michelin-starred chef, author and TV personality and Peter McCombie MW, wine educator, consultant, judge and writer were guests of the panel. OBJECTIVES The project is aimed at providing consumers with educational material about European food and wine products, with the scope of creating a new approach to protected food names, without any preconceptions. Mr. Stradiotti said that “the general objective of the project is to improve the knowledge of food and wine products that have cultural and territorial characteristics, in order to make European consumers aware of the products’ food safety, environmental issues and organoleptic features to improve their presence in the target markets”. The activities’ recipients will be the consumers, who will be involved in the project through events and promotional activities, as they are looking for high quality products with safety standards, making the PDO, PGI and TSG highly sought-after. OVERVIEW IN ITALY Certified food products and wines are on high demand and Italy is the leading country with the highest number of PDO products. Whilst Italian exports are booming in Europe, Italian and European consumers are increasingly interested in purchasing products whose quality and origin are proven by certifications. 2019 marked a record for the export of Made in Italy cheese, especially for PDO and PGI products, with a 14% rise compared to the previous year. Furthermore, despite climate issues leading to a 16% drop in the wine production, it is foreseen that the overall production of Italian wine in 2019 will be equal to 46 million hectolitres, confirming Italy as the first wine producer in the world. Regarding overall consumption, Italians purchase mostly DOC, DOCG and IGT wines. Out of the protected olive oils in the European Union, almost 40% is represented by Italian brands, with 46 certified products. ·