London – The International Week of Italian Cuisine seeks to address the themes that were successfully covered at Expo Milan 2015 and embedded in the Charter of Milan, namely: quality, sustainability, culture, food safety and security, the right to food, education, identity, community, and biodiversity.
The project is part of the Food Act, a plan for action in support of the agrifood sector and Italian cuisine. The Food Act was launched by the Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Resources in July 2015 on behalf of the Italian government, as part of the programme set up by the MOU for the promotion of Italian cuisine abroad.
It was signed by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Agricultural and Forestry Resources, and Education, Universities and Research, on March 15, 2016. The activities of the Week of Italian Cuisine will be coordinated by a task force appointed by the Protocol offices and chaired by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The International Week of Italian Cuisine is an annual event promoting Italy’s gastronomic culture abroad, showcasing its quality and excellence. Cuisine is one of the essential components of Italy’s identity and culture and is a central aspect of many Italian brands.
The objectives of the event are the following:
– Integrate the week’s activities with the Extraordinary Plan promoting Italian products, with a focus on authentic agrifood products;
– Focus on the traditions, handcrafted products and innovation of Italian chefs and wine masters;
– Promote food- and wine-themed tourist itineraries;
– Internationalise Italian cuisine by creating opportunities for young Italian chefs to train and practise abroad and by presenting
top-quality Italian gastronomy;
– Publicise the benefits of the Mediterranean diet;
– Present education opportunities in the food and wine sector, with
a focus on economic and management matters, in order to attract
foreign talent and promote the use of top-quality Italian products;
– Raise awareness of agrifood and wine products, especially those
with a protection label (DOP, IGP, organic, DOGC, DOC, IGT, etc);
– Present cuisine as a vehicle for solidarity, exchange and dialogue, social inclusion and food education in schools
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Agricultural Policies and Forestry, has launched an initiative involving public and private stakeholders who have, in various ways, represented top level Italian cuisine and Italy in the world. Participants include institutions (Ministry for Economic Development and the ICE Agency, the Ministry of Education, University and Research, the Ministry of Cultural Property and ENIT Italy’s tourism promotion agency], together with regional governments and associations, cooking schools and networks of certified Italian restaurants, major designers and food and wine businesses).
The major stakeholders are Italian chefs of international renown and young students of cooking schools.
Their participation around the world has been essential to numerous major events. The point of reference for the activities is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ network of missions abroad, which include 295 diplomatic and consular offices as well as Italian Cultural Institutes. These facilities coordinate all the initiatives from the various players on the Italian scene, forming a critical mass and ensuring consistency.
There are over 1300 events promoting top- quality Italian cuisine: seminars on food sustainability and certifications; meetings with chefs; recipe book launches; product tastings; dinners; events promoting business; cooking courses; conferences on nutrition in sports; furniture shows; design exhibitions; presentations of tourist itineraries; and communication, with special reference to social media. The cultural aspect is of central importance. At many of the events there will be screenings of films and documentaries on food, conferences on the history of cuisine, concerts, language courses, and photo exhibitions on related subjects.
This year, the International Week of Italian Cuisine will take place from 21 to 27 November, celebrated by a variety of events held in over a hundred countries.
The United Kingdom is a major importer of Italian food and beverages. The value of this sector has risen consistently in the last five years, from £1,908m in 2011 to £2,290m in 2014, and continues to grow. Italy’s most popular food exports to the UK are wine (worth £650m), past (£86m), olive oil (£40m) and cured meats (£75m).
Given this growing taste for Italian products among British consumers, the Week of Italian Cuisine in UK promises to be an extremely successful initiative, with a wide range of exciting events.
