By Rosanna Caira
Toronto — The Italian Trade Commission yesterday launched the “Extraordinary Italian Taste” campaign, a month-long outreach effort to promote traditional Italian foods that are protected under the European Union’s certification system. The EU identifies these products with PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) and PGI (Protected Geographic Indication) labels.
The campaign was launched at Terroni restaurant’s Adelaide St. location, where attendees included an audience of food importers, distributors, retailers and media. The objective of the month-long campaign, which will run in all of the restaurant’s Canadian locations, is to help Canadians recognize protected-designation labels and further appreciate the exclusive qualities of authentic PDO and PGI Italian-food products.
At last night’s event, Italian trade commissioner Pasquale Bova said the intent of the program is “to create greater awareness of what is real Italian food.
“Canadian consumers have been enjoying Italian foods and wines at ever-increasing rates in the last 20 years,” said Bova. “In 2015, Italy was Canada’s top EU supplier of foods and wines. This is a testament to the fact that Canadians appreciate and recognize the intrinsic qualities of Made- in-Italy foods. And this campaign, in partnership with Terroni, informs consumers further, helping them identify protected designation foods on Terroni’s menus.”
Quick facts:
- The European Union has three certification systems in place to protect original EU foods and wines: DOP (Protected Designation of Origin); IGP (Protected Geographical Indication); and TSG (Traditional Specialty Guarantee), which refer to geographical origin and the highest standards of traditional modes of production.
- The purpose of DOP, IGP and TSG certifications is to safeguard traditional regional foods, to promote rural and agricultural development and protect original foods from unfair competition. The certifications help consumers discern between original products and imitations.
- Italy is home to 25 per cent of all certified European DOP products and holds the record for the number of certified foods and wines in all of the European Union.
- Canada is one of the top 10 worldwide destinations for Made in Italy food-and-beverage exports. Italy is Canada’s top EU agri-food supplier and Canada’s fourth-largest worldwide food-and-wine supplier after the U.S., Mexico and China.