At least 30 international buyers took part yesterday in Terra Madre – Salone del Gusto 2018 in Turin, on the first day alone. Until Monday, the event conceived by Slow Food will showcase many healthy, high-quality, authentic and typical food products from all over the world. Not to mention the more than 7,000 delegates from 150 countries around the world who arrived to discuss the future of food. On the first day of the event, Slow Food’s organizers presented a proposal addressed to the Italian Minister of Agriculture, Gian Marco Centinaio. This is the indication on food labels of the price of the raw material of origin.
HOW TO ENSURE A TRANSPARENT SYSTEM
“The indication on the label of the price of the raw material – explained the Executive Committee of Slow Food Italy – would not be an obligation, rather a self-declaration of the processor who consciously undertakes to ensure a transparent system of traceability. The ‘price at source’ would underline the company’s behaviour towards the production system. We believe that this initiative can contribute not only to restoring dignity and value to agricultural work, but above all to providing tools for consumer evaluation and counteract the progressive decrease of food products’ prices”.
MORE GUARANTEES FOR CONSUMERS
The price of the raw material at source is an initiative of the association founded by Slow Food’s president Carlo Petrini, same as the ‘narrative label’. Launched in 2011, the latter is a tool that provides consumers with much more information than those required by law, telling the story of the product and the work of the farmer. Many historical partners of Slow Food, such as Alce Nero, are already displaying it.
TERRA MADRE: FOCUS ON LABELLING
Ismea (Italian institute of Services for the Agricultural Food Market) has also launched a public consultation on the subject of labelling – online until 30 November – which focuses on the origin of raw materials, the place of processing, and the presence of these information on the label. To further underline the importance of the topic, labelling will be discussed in the next few days at Terra Madre – Salone del Gusto in many seminars and meetings.