The Italian Trade Agency will be highlighting the importance of recognising authentic Italian food products at this year’s Gulfood.
Participating for their second year at the event, which takes place at World Trade Centre next week, the Italian Trade agency will be hosting an Italian Food Lab showcasing quality produce, cooking shows and informative sessions on the EU quality logos – PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication).
“Italian food is really a celebration of good quality produce. Preparing Italian food starts with the shopping: quality ingredients are a priority to creating an unforgettable Italian meal,” Gianpaolo Bruno, trade commissioner, UAE, Oman and Pakistan at the Italian Trade Agency said.
“At the Italian Food Lab, we want to raise awareness of the ‘Made in Italy’ quality food products and the importance of the PDO and PGI logos, which can defend consumers from food fraud that causes devastating damage to the producers of the genuine Italian food and results in an estimated loss of 60 billion euros a year.
“We want to encourage retail and HORECA sectors in this region to give importance to sourcing authentic Italian products and promote the ‘Made in Italy’ brands,” he added.
The PDO and PGI sessions will educate visitors on the importance of identifying the logos that not only serve as an identification for traditional products but registration under these schemes also provides producers with legal protection against imitation or misuse of the product name.