UNESCO recognition is a great achievement for the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests Francesco Lollobrigida, who tells in this interview the objectives of his institutional commitment.
Minister Lollobrigida, the recognition of Italian cuisine as a UNESCO cultural heritage was a great success. What impact will it have on the agrifood chain in the world?
The recognition of Italian cuisine in a UNESCO World Heritage Site is the legitimization of the pride that all Italians, and dozens of millions of people abroad, brought to their hearts. With this recognition it is not established that Italian cuisine is the best in the world, but simply that our approach to food is unique: for us cooking is an act of love towards our neighbour, it is attention to the origin, the way in which the products are made, to the seasons and therefore to the biodiversity.
The message is very powerful and the number of people who spoke about it in the world can make us say that this message has passed. Relapses will not delay to arrive, starting from the question of our agri-food products and to end with tourist visits. Today many people choose the place to visit also for what they can eat, so food is no longer something that is consumed simply at the time of meals, but an experience. This award could lead to +18 million tourists in two years. We have to work because the results exceed these expectations
Italian cuisine is also a powerful instrument of cultural and economic diplomacy. What is the road map of the Government on Made in Italy agribusiness and export to key markets like the US?
The United States is one of our reference markets and that is where we want to consolidate the presence of our products. Your network of fairs, such as the New York Summer Fancy Food, is the ideal place for our operators to make agreements with the great distribution to make the authentic product available and immediately recognizable. Today Italian cuisine represents 19% of the global catering market, recognition will increase demand.
We have to work to translate this into higher quality demand. As UNESCO acknowledged, Italian cuisine is culture and restaurants are our first ambassadors.
The challenges of sustainability and food security are now daily. How do we combine preserving the different territorial culinary traditions of Italy?
We must combine innovation and tradition and we are already doing it with investments in order to make companies competitive and in step with times. We invest, for example, on Assisted Evolution Techniques (TEA) and in precision agriculture, technologies that allow to produce more consuming less water and less chemical, safeguarding however the disciplinary production that make unique our Made in Italy, that for the whole world does not mean only made in Italy, but beautiful, good, quality and therefore to buy.
The phenomenon of “Italian sounding” continues to damage producers and consumers. Can UNESCO be an effective weapon against imitation and counterfeiting? How?
Of course. If first the defense of our products was a national duty, today, with this recognition, it becomes a duty of all to preserve our culinary culture from poor imitations. Recognition is something we already do, but today we will have more and more demanding people educated at our standards. It is a cultural weapon that exposes the false: when the consumer perceives the value of a millenary history certified, the “parmesan” in turn is perceived for what it is, that is, a copy devoid of soul. We will use UNESCO recognition to promote information campaigns that make citizens’ choices more aware and quality oriented. The recognition and renewed appeal of our products will give many people the cultural tools to distinguish imitations from excellence.
Looking at the future, what message does it want to launch to all those who work in the food chain called to safeguard and renew the heritage of Italian cuisine in the world?
To farmers, transformers and our chefs I say: you are our best ambassadors, the victory of Italian cuisine is the victory of a nation that, when aware of its value, has no rivals in the world, so continue to innovate while remaining anchored to your roots. The numbers show that investing in our identity pays, in fact, in the UNESCO contexts the workforce grows. It is emblematic the case of the hills of Prosecco di Conegliano and Valdobbiadene where an increase of the tourist presences greater than 180% compared to the non-certified territories. A fundamental role will be played by our hotel and agricultural schools, talent workshops ready to compete in the name of quality. The Government is at your side to protect and promote the Italian System.
L’articolo Lollobrigida: “The UNESCO recognition opens a new season for Italy” comes from IlNewyorkese.
