Italy — For the last 20 years, Italy has been a top supplier of food and beverages to Canada, and Canadians’ appreciation for authentic Italian products continues to grow. However, this growth in demand has given rise to products falsely marketed as Italian.
Authentic Italian foods are protected by European laws and can be clearly identified by a series of logos created by the European Union’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Additionally, when the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is officially implemented, Canada will also recognize a number of authentic foodstuffs.
The Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies is promoting the Protected Designation of Origin (POD) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) designations to help Canadians identify authentic Italian food-and-beverage products.
In total, Italy boasts 805 recognized and protected names of quality agricultural products, foodstuff and wine. Further information on these products and their designations is available at italianmade.com.
