The president of the Consortium for the protection of Gorgonzola PDO cheese, Antonio Auricchio, also president of AFIDOP (the Italian Association of PDO dairy industries), met yesterday at Expo 2020 Dubai the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, and the Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers with responsibility for sports, Valentina Vezzali (in the photo above).
Auricchio underlined the importance of promoting a strong common initiative to support the exports of Italian dairy excellent products to new markets. He also symbolically invited the former fencing champion Valentina Vezzali to cut a wheel of Gorgonzola with a foil throw and, given her skill, “knockdown” the Nutriscore labeling system.
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“The fight against Italian Sounding and the need to enhance promotional activities on foreign markets,” says Auricchio, “leads us to ask the Italian government for stronger synergy between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture, as food is one of the main vehicles of Italy’s image abroad. The notoriety of cheeses that are known and appreciated all over the world, such as Gorgonzola PDO, can be an important stimulus for all of our PDO dairy productions, even the minor ones. Together they are perfect for promoting the high quality of Italian products”.
The Gorgonzola PDO Consortium is present at Expo 2020 Dubai, together with a group of other Italian PDO dairies Protection Consortia, in the M-Eating Italy space. During the six months of Expo, AFIDOP and the other Consortia will organize a series of events, “in purity” tastings, and cooking shows. Visitors will be able to take part in events featuring the Gorgonzola PDO Consortium together with the Grana Padano PDO Consortium, the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO Consortium, and the Pecorino Romano PDO Consortium.
Gorgonzola PDO exports – top importers (January-July, 2021)
| COUNTRY | EXPORTED WHEELS | % VAR. ON JAN-JUL 2020 |
| Germany | 334,288 | n.d. |
| France | 259,655 | +10% |
| Spain | 73,189 | +11% |
| Netherlands | 58,847 | n.d. |
| Belgium | 48,402 | +27% |
| USA | 18,135 | +41% |
| Japan | 18,038 | n.d. |
| Australia | 17,279 | +5.58% |
GORGONZOLA PDO BY THE NUMBERS
In 2020, Gorgonzola PDO production was 5,100,423 wheels, growing by +1.49% (equal to 74,638 wheels) compared to 2019, and +5.18% (equal to 251,120 wheels) compared to 2018. In 2020, the wheels destined for exports were 1,954,750, with a +3.3% increase compared to the same period of the previous year.
The EU countries are the main foreign market for Gorgonzola PDO cheese. In fact, this year they absorbed more than 85% of the export quota. Germany is the top importer (334,288 wheels, from January to July 2021), followed by France (259,655 wheels, +10%), Spain (73,189, +11%), the Netherlands (58,847 wheels, stable), and Belgium (48,402 wheels, +27%). The USA is the main non-EU importer (excluding Switzerland) with 18,135 wheels (+41%), followed by Japan (18,038 wheels, down), and Australia (17,279 wheels, +5.58%).