Food: Coldiretti, Made in Italy counterfeiting worth 60 billion
Rome - Global trade in counterfeit Made in Italy produce, or fraudulently giving products Italian-sounding names, has reached 60 billion, making it increasingly necessary "to protect Italy's national heritage, under attack from international agro-piracy, by transparency of information from labels to trade fairs. So stated Coldiretti at Anuga FoodTec, the leading global food trade fair in Cologne, commenting on the withdrawal of dozens of fake Italian products, following the complaint lodged by Federalimentare (Italian food industry federation). Coldiretti alleges that products such as Pasta Ciao, Tomatino passata and fake Parmigiano "pose an unacceptable violation of the Made in Italy image, since they not only steal market interest and jobs across the entire Italian food industry but deceive customers all over the world." According to the industry organization, overseas exports of Italian agri-food products could triple if a stop was put to international food counterfeiting, as "almost two in three Italian-style food products are fake".
Top of the list of most counterfeited products are cheeses with denomination of origin (DOP), such as Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano, together with Provolone, Gorgonzola, Pecorino Romano, Asiago and Fontina. Then there are prestigious salamis, from Parma to San Daniele, that are often "cloned", as well as extra-virgin olive oils and preserves.