2023 Author: Cody Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:20
The original Recco focaccia can be prepared, administered and sold only within its traditional borders, which are enclosed between the capital Recco, Camogli, Sori and Avegno.
A few kilometers to defend a specialty protected by the European trademark and by a six-page specification that establishes characteristics, rules, restrictions and prohibitions.
Anyone who tries to get out of the way is in trouble and is denounced for commercial fraud.
Exaggerated? For references, ask the same representatives of the consortium (Consorzio Focaccia di Recco), who, to prevent the competition from making and selling their main dish in the rest of Italy and the world, have set out such absurd rules that today, to give an example, the Recco focaccia cannot be boarded on a flight to the United States.
In December 2015, the consortium opened a stand at the Rho craft fair to promote its focaccia, the one with the IGP brand. Things went well with a lot of queuing at the cash desk and at the counter until the carabinieri of the Nas of Milan showed up. Result: stand closed and commercial fraud reported to managers.
It does not matter where the focaccia is prepared but it is forbidden to sell it outside the borders, even if it is the same drafters of the disciplinary who do so.
The paradox was recalled yesterday by the Post to comment on an article by the Economist on the excess of protectionism that Italy betrays to defend its typical products: the authoritative British weekly speaks of "sacralization".
Between PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) TSG (Traditional Specialty Guaranteed) and other types of protection, we have 924 Italian products "guaranteed" by Europe, against 754 for the French and 361 for the Spanish.
We are less good at selling this blessed one Made in Italy food, there is a lack of distribution centers capable of taking them around the world, with the exception of Eataly perhaps, which, however, with 400 million in annual turnover is far from the tens of billions of real giants.
According to the Economist, the symbol of Made in Italy and of this national obsession for protection is the Pizza.
The fact that it was born in Italy but that the Americans make the greatest profits, even going so far as to impose their chains on us, see the Domino's case, says a lot about the problems of our economy.
A lack of adaptability, concludes the Economist, which does not do justice to Italian genius and inventiveness.