There is even a fake Marsala wine – Made in China – among many food products and beverages on the black list of Donald Trump, published by the U.S. Department of State for Trade. This is what Italian farmers association Coldiretti revealed with regard to the escalation of the war of duties. To date, the United States is expected to impose a tariff rate of 10% on goods imported from China, for as much as 200 billion dollars. In addition to technological products, there is a long list of foodstuffs: from fruit to vegetables, from fish to butter, from honey to eggs, from rice to other cereals, from mushrooms to truffles and many others among which stands out the Marsala wine, that is protected by Italy by means of a denomination of controlled origin (DOC).
ITALIAN FOOD BETWEEN DUTIES AND COUNTERFEITING
Coldiretti points out that this is a striking case of agro-piracy. Moreover, it shows the high level of Chinese counterfeit food products, ready to invade international markets where they are stealing space from authentic Italian food products. In the United States, shipments of Marsala wine from Italy amounted to 4.6 million euros in 2017. They could increase significantly without the unfair competition of counterfeit products. Wine production in China has been expanding rapidly since the 1980s. The country is now in the top ten of the world’s leading producers with 10.8 million hectolitres, on the same level as Australia and South Africa. The ‘Marsala case’ shows that it is necessary to promote global trade rules that include respect for intellectual property, labour rights, environment and health.