PUGLIA – Challenge to the sound of territories and ‘flags of taste’ with the custodians of biodiversity and distinctiveness in farmhouses, the day of Made in Italy at the table when food is the main item of the holiday budget in Puglia, with 72% of the structures agritourisms dedicated to catering activities and 46% to tastings, with structured oil tourism and wine tourism itineraries. The initiative organized by Coldiretti Puglia was attended by the president of Terranostra Puglia, Antonio Baselice, the representative of the Legislative Office of the national Coldiretti, Mario Paolucci, the director of Fondazione Campagna Amica, Carmelo Troccoli, the national president of the Terranostra agritourisms , Dominga Cotarella and the regional councilor for Agriculture, Donato Pentassuglia.
32% of Italian food and wine tourists consider Puglia one of the 3 best Italian regions for food and wine tourism, an appreciation linked to the quality of the food, but also to the peasant farms that offer typical recipes of the regional tradition, with agritourisms recording an increase exponential number of guests for both catering and accommodation. 23% of Italian tourists say they are planning a trip to Puglia for food and wine tourism – adds Coldiretti Puglia – but already over 20% of Italian tourists say they have visited Puglia specifically to enjoy food and wine experiences.
Made in Italy from field to table in Puglia is represented by a total of 60 DOP IGP certified foods and wines, the region number 8 in Italy for DOP IGP TSG products, to which are added the 4 national TSG and 2 IG spirit drinks regional, for a total of 66 Geographical Indications. Puglia can count on 623 native plant species at risk of extinction – adds Coldiretti Puglia – 365 products recognized as traditional by the Ministry of Agriculture, 11 DOP products (5 extra virgin olive oils, Galatina new potatoes, Altamura bread, Apulian canestrato, mozzarella from buffalo and olive Bella di Cerignola, caciocavallo silano, in addition to the DOP ‘mozzarella di Gioia del Colle), 9 PGI for the oil of Puglia, the lentil of Altamura, the burrata of Andria, the White Onion of Margherita, the grapes of Puglia, the Brindisi Artichoke, the Gargano Orange, the Gargano Femminello Lemon and the Clementines from the Gulf of Taranto and 29 DOC and 6 IGP wines. But also the agricultural area intended for organic farming reaches 321 thousand hectares in Puglia where the sector is growing again, with an increase of 12% in 1 year, confirming Puglia at the top of the national ranking for organic agriculture and with Campagna Amica the most large network of farmers’ direct sales markets.
“Primates which, however, must be defended from the phenomenon of “fake in Italy”, foreign food passed off as Italian by exploiting the concept of the last substantial transformation for food, what is technically called the customs code. In this way, foreign ham legs, after being salted and seasoned, are sold as Italian and the same happens with foreign milk which becomes Italian mozzarella. A fraud against which a great mobilization by Coldiretti started from Brenner with the aim of collecting one million signatures for a popular initiative European law proposal on the transparency of what we bring to the table.
“In agritourisms, Made in Italy agri-food products are protected on a daily basis against the import of agricultural and agri-food products from foreign countries which do not respect the same rules of food and environmental safety and respect for workers’ rights and which are often passed off as tricolors by exploiting the customs code that allows them to be “Italianized” thanks to minimal processing. The campaign can be supported by signing in all the farmers’ markets of Campagna Amica and in the Coldiretti offices and will also be promoted on social media with the hashtag nofakeinitaly .
The activity of safeguarding historical food in agritourisms has an additional tool, with the reform of the European system of designations of origin (GI) protecting the Italian primacy in the European Union with 892 recognized products, including food, wines and spirits, which they develop a value of over 20 billion euros and employ 890 thousand people involved in the supply chains.
The fight against fake Made in Italy food, which is worth over 120 billion euros worldwide, depends on the defense of the system of European geographical indications, with the fight against imitations which helps the growth of a system which, in addition to the economic and employment impact, represents a cultural and environmental heritage of the country, a result obtained thanks to the Coldiretti commitment of recent years in synergy with many Italian MEPs starting with the speaker Paolo De Castro”.
The reform provides, as requested by Coldiretti, a stop to the registration of traditional terms that are identical or that recall the names of PDO and PGI, as in the case of Prošek, the Croatian wine that evokes Italian Prosecco. It will be mandatory to indicate the name of the producer on the label of a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), in order to guarantee maximum transparency for consumers. There will be – explains Coldiretti – greater protection of products with indication of origin also as ingredients in processed products, especially on the web. The new regulation then recognizes and enhances sustainable practices, which include environmental, economic and social aspects, including animal welfare.
Furthermore – concludes Coldiretti – it gives greater autonomy to producer groups, allowing them to establish a voluntary system to strengthen their position within the supply chain.
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