Italy will invest €60 million in a public awareness campaign to promote original Italian food products, initially in the US, Canada and Mexico.
According to Italy's Deputy Industry Minister Carlo Calenda, the campaign was launched as a reaction to a 180% increase in what's described as 'Italian-sounding" foreign food products and beverages during the period between 2001 and 2010. This figure, in fact, represents around 25% of Italian overall exports.
In North America, some 97% of pasta sauces are reported to be imitations of Italian products, as are 94% of canned oil products, 76% of canned tomatoes and 15% of cheese, mostly parmesan.
Calenda added that the campaign aims "to bring original Italian products to the shelves of large retail distributors, especially American and Canadian, and explain to the American consumer the value of authentically Italian food".
The targets of the promotion include importers, distributors, purchasing managers of retail chains and specialty stores, chefs, food bloggers, industry journalists, nutritionists, testimonials and opinion leaders from the food and wellness sectors.
Calenda admitted that, in the past, adequate money wasn't invested, however this year will be invested around 11 times what's been invested in the past. He announced that the highlight of the campaign will be during Christmas in New York’s Times Square and will also include a video filmed by famed Italian actor Silvio Muccino.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
