Mozzarella di Bufala Campana Dop and Prosciutto di Parma Dop represent the excellence of Made in Italy in the USA on the occasion of the “Week of Italian Cuisine in the World”, scheduled from November 14 to 20.
Promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the “Week of Italian Cuisine in the World” is dedicated this year to the theme “Conviviality, sustainability and innovation: the ingredients of Italian cuisine for people's health and the protection of the planet”.
The Protection Consortia of the two products that are symbols of Italy in the world are in Washington where they took part yesterday, November 14, in the celebration event at the Italian Embassy in the USA. “Innovation & Technology for Sustainable food production” is the title of the workshop, focused on how to improve production in the agrifood sector from a sustainable perspective.
The conference, opened by the Italian Ambassador to the US Mariangela Zappia, was attended by Stefano Fanti, director of the Consortium of Parma Ham; Pier Maria Saccani, director of the Consortium for the Protection of Mozzarella di Bufala Campana Dop; Shawna Morris, senior vice president, Trade Policy – US Dairy and Nick Gardner, US Meat Institute.
“The producers of our agri-food system, who combine tradition and innovation in perfect balance, with a responsible use of natural resources and attention to the environment and the minimization of climate impact, are models of inspiration also for the United States, whose consumers increasingly appreciate the quality of our food excellences”, highlighted Ambassador Zappia.
“Tradition needs innovation to be able to face the challenges of the global world, even in the kitchen. Italian cuisine is based on products of extraordinary quality. Our commitment must be aimed at promoting the model of the Mediterranean diet and, at the same time, at making known the quality and versatility of our excellences in the kitchen, so that they can become part of the habits of consumers abroad.
For example, to stay in the US, it would be interesting to prepare their classic macaroni cheese with Bufala Campana Dop and Pasta di Gragnano Igp”, underlined director Saccani and added: “We arrived in the US immediately after the Midterm elections, the outcome of which indicates what could happen in the coming months also in terms of the world economy, beyond political alignments”.
“The most challenging task that the Parma Ham Consortium is facing almost sixty years after its foundation,” said Stefano Fanti, director of the Parma Ham Consortium, “is to carry forward an operating model capable of combining environmental, social and economic sustainability, respecting the rules of product authenticity and the inseparable bond with the territory where our PDO is born.
We share a very specific mission with our producers: to responsibly manage the entire production process and promote environmental performance with the least possible impact, without ever losing sight of animal welfare, research on alternative packaging and the promotion of virtuous behaviors throughout the supply chain.
In this way we intend to consolidate, on these very current issues, a recognizable ethical imprint and further guarantee the essential protection of the consumer, both in the domestic and international markets".
At the embassy headquarters, the two Consortia spoke with the other guests, bringing the best practices adopted by two of the main national agri-food chains overseas. Sustainability (environmental but also economic), animal welfare and traceability are the distinctive characteristics of the work carried out in recent years by Bufala Campana and Prosciutto di Parma, all aspects on which the focus is to strengthen information and communication to consumers in this regard to the values that these products express and also to their connection with the territory.
At the center of the debate, during the American week promoted by our Embassy, there will also be the themes of the Mediterranean Diet as a model of food sustainability, the virtuous relationship between man and nature, the organoleptic characteristics of Italian products and the fight against Italian sounding, to promote the protection of authentic Made in Italy.
Article published on November 15, 2022 - 15:55
