Together with the Italian Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry, the Italian Trade Commission (ICE), the Association of the Italian Chambers of Commerce abroad (Assocameraestero) and the Italian restaurants’ association (Associazione Internazionale Ristoranti d’Italia (ARDI)), DNV has participated in the study and design of a new quality standard that will determine whether Italian restaurants abroad offer genuine Italian cuisine to their guests.
Strangely enough, up to now, there has been no form of protection or classification of “brand Italy” in the restaurant business.
Native ingredients
What does the technical standard require in order for the restaurant to be truly Italian?
First of all, it requires the use of authentic Italian ingredients, although deviations will be allowed from country to country. Mostly Italian wine in the cellar, a head chef who has been formally trained in Italian cuisine or has spent at least six months training at a restaurant in Italy, and at least one Italian-speaking waiter, are among the other criteria.
On February 28, the “Technical Committee for the Value Enhancement of Agro-food Production to improve the Quality of Italian Restaurants around the world” started a pilot project with the voluntary participation of more than 50 restaurants in Belgium which, assisted by ARDI, were certified by DNV. A number of Italian restaurants in Luxembourg then joined the project, and five more were awarded a similar certificate.
Promote Italian identity
The aim of the project is to create an international Italian food and wine circuit promoting the Italian identity.
The first certified restaurants have given rise to great interest in the media and public opinion, triggering a form of “certification stress” afflicting those unable to take part in the pilot project.
The project targets approximately 60,000 Italian restaurants outside Italy, even though no more than 10,000-15,000 are truly Italian restaurants.
The next step over the following 3-4 years is the certification of the truly Italian restaurants abroad, starting in France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and then moving on to the capitals of the rest of Central Europe and then Scandinavia.
Certificate
The restaurant is given a framed certificate which tells guests that it complies with the standard. Certified restaurants will have to maintain their certification through annual audits performed by DNV.
Stefano Crea, Food Area Manager DNV South Europe Certification, says: “The Italian restaurant Association was looking for an internationally recognised partner that could guarantee the authenticity and transparency of a quality mark for Italian restaurants abroad, and they chose DNV as their partner.”
Restaurateurs regard the initiative primarily in terms of market recognition, while Italian institutions and the entire agro-food supply chain hope that restaurateurs will look favourably on this remarkable organisational undertaking and play an active role in this broad-based initiative to promote “made in Italy” products. Finally, consumers can look forward not only to an improvement in the gastronomic delights offered, but also to an awareness of Italian values, traditions, culture and customs.