The Italian Minister of Agriculture, Stefano Patuanelli, has recently signed the agreement between the Italian government and Amazon for the protection of Italian food products on the e-commerce site. The aim of the agreement is to strengthen the protection, promotion, enhancement, and information of Italian PDO and PGI F&B products towards consumers who buy on Amazon.
Italy thus becomes the first country in the world to sign a memorandum of understanding with Amazon to protect its Geographical Indications, as well as consumers and businesses, and prevent food counterfeiting. Italy’s Central Inspectorate for the Protection of Quality and Fraud Repression of agri-food products (ICQRF) and Amazon strengthen the existing collaboration for the identification and reporting of violations of intellectual property rights of products with Protected Designation of Origin or Protected Geographical Indication, as well as unfair practices related to the correct information on food. The agreement, thanks to the daily monitoring of online marketplaces carried out by the ICQRF, will allow Amazon to promptly remove counterfeit products.
Click here to discover the authentic Italian F&B products on the Italianfood.net platform
PROTECTING PDO, PGI F&B AND AMAZON CUSTOMERS
“The protection of Italian Geographical Indications is one of the main goals of our agri-food policy since our country can boast the highest number of PDO and PGI products in Europe. The agreement signed with Amazon – which in recent years has implemented several programs and technological innovations aimed at protecting customers, sellers, and brands – confirms the quality of the work we have done so far. Moreover, the agreement will lead to renewed support and protection for Italian agriculture and the country’s immense food heritage,” says Minister Patuanelli.
“The agreement is good news for our customers around the world. They can enjoy Italian delicacies knowing that the products they see in our store are genuine and of the highest quality,” says Dharmesh Mehta, Vice President of Customer Trust and Partner Support at Amazon.
Many of Amazon’s sales partners are small and medium-sized businesses and account for the majority of physical products sold in Amazon stores. In 2020, Amazon invested more than $700 million and employed more than 10,000 people to protect the store from fraud and abuse.
“This agreement is an important public-private partnership to protect Italian food and wine products. It guarantees a safe shopping experience and helps the recovery of our economy through exports. We are pleased to make our contribution, which is part of Amazon’s broader commitment to support the 18,000 Italian SMEs that sell in our store, promote Made in Italy around the world, and protect brands from counterfeiting,” says Mariangela Marseglia, Country Manager, Amazon.it and Amazon.es.
