Buffalo Mozzarella PDO has now a greater protection in the United States, as the use of “mozzarella” term to indicate a specific type of cheese has been made clear. This guarantees greater transparency for consumers. The president of the protection Consortium, Domenico Raimondo, and the vice president of the US Dairy association – also director of the Consortium of Common Names – Jaime Castaneda, signed an agreement in Caserta, at the Consortium headquarters, on the protection of the Buffalo Mozzarella PDO from Campania denomination in the USA.
BUFFALO MOZZARELLA FROM CAMPANIA PDO IN NUMBERS
- OPERATORS: 1,488
- PRODUCTION(Kg): 44,313,993
- TURNOVER (MIO €): 372
THE US-ITALY AGREEMENT ON BUFFALO MOZZARELLA PDO
The two bodies recognize the distinctive character of the name Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO (Buffalo Mozzarella PDO) and the joint document states that any reference, textual or graphic, to the production area on a similar product infringes the rights of the PDO Italian cheese from Campania.
The agreement also specifies the free use of the term “Mozzarella” to define a cheese produced in accordance with the provisions of the Codex Alimentarius and the standard USA Food and Drug Administration. In addition, Raimondo and Castaneda have sent a joint letter to the European Commission and to the governments of the United States and Italy asking to share this agreement and to support efforts to protect both the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO name and the free use of the term mozzarella in markets all around the world.
Click here to discover the authentic mozzarella cheese products on the Italianfood.net platform
THE PLUS OF THE AGREEMENT
As for export sales of this typical Italian cheese, the United States is the most important market outside the EU with a share of 7% and great potential, given the growing demand for certified products. “This agreement will bring clarity to American and global consumers, while protecting their ability to choose from a wide selection of high quality food products,” Castaneda emphasizes. The meeting with US Dairy was attended also by Italy’s dairy manufacturers association Assolatte and the Consortium of Common Names.
EXPORTS DATA
In 2017 the total exports value of Buffalo Mozzarella from Campania PDO was equal to 262 million euros, with an increase of almost 9% compared to 241 million of 2016. According to Consortium data, in the last 25 years the production of Buffalo Mozzarella PDO has more than quadrupled, from 115 thousand to 494 thousand tons, with an average annual growth of 6%. In 2018, the sales share was 67.29% in Italy and 32.75% abroad. The most important export markets are Germany, France, UK, USA, Spain and Switzerland, with a recent strong increase in the Netherlands and a new interest from emerging markets in the East.