Genovese Pesto from Thailand, Russian Parmesan, Canadian Parma ham and hundreds more… the experts call them ‘Italian-sounding’ labels, i.e. food products whose name and packaging deliberately evoke original Italian products, despite an extremely approximate resemblance to them. That’s to say, grossly clumsy imitations, which would be totally comical were it not for the fact that on the market they cause devastating damage to the producers of the genuine Italian article, estimated at 60 billion euros a year. On this worrying subject, an encounter was held on Saturday July 18 in the Coldiretti Pavilion, featuring Roberto Moncalvo (President Coldiretti) and Giancarlo Caselli (President of the Scientific Committee of the Observatory on Food Fraud). Coldiretti combined this event with the presentation of a new report on food fraud, and the inauguration of an exhibition displaying some of the most serious examples, many of them – unfortunately – made and sold in countries participating in the Milan Universal Exposition.
Protecting genuine Made in Italy quality
“The international protection of Italy’s gastronomic heritage is a priority area for institutional initiatives defending our national identity and thus recovering economic resources vital to boosting the country’s growth”, argued Roberto Moncalvo – “The Universal Exposition potentially offers a turning point in the campaign to protect Italy’s food and culinary heritage, which is the most ‘appreciated’ but also the most ‘counterfeited’ in the world. In this context – Moncalvo added – the recent export plan announced by the Italian Government is highly significant: for the first time, this foresees a campaign against ‘Italian-sounding products’ at an international level.”
Food Fraudsters
The list of fake imitations denounced and exhibited by Coldiretti in its Pavilion is extremely long… including not only the Thai Genoese Pesto but also the Belgian Saucemaffia to be eaten with potato chips, the Austrian Tortelloni with Polenta, the Canadian San Daniele ham… not to mention the US do-it-yourself Parmesan cheese or Barolo wine kits, the Bordolino Bianco from Argentina or Russian Prosecco. Coldiretti repeatedly highlights the fact that, unlike imitations in fashion or technology, food fraud takes place not so much in developing nations as in prosperous nations.
