Italian Sounding

Just yesterday we heard about the Balsamic Vinegar not really produced in Modena, the Prosek not really produced in Northern Italy. These products are in addition to the Parmesan, which imitates Parmigiano Reggiano, Mozarella, which is passed off as buffalo mozzarella, Pomarola Sauce, Zottarella and Spagheroni.

These go under the name ITALIAN SOUNDING

 The expression Italian Sounding indicates that phenomenon that consists in making a product look Italian that instead of Italian has nothing, neither the ingredients or materials used, nor the place of production.

It is basically a way to deceive consumers, and causes enormous damage to the real Made in Italy.

Italian Sounding is a phenomenon that has its roots in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when Italians began to emigrate abroad and, making themselves known in the craft and food and wine sector, made known to the world the Italian traditions and the best products. The demand for Made in Italy began to grow and many foreign companies began to imitate our products, without obtaining the same results. The problem is that for those who do not know the real Made in Italy it is difficult to understand when they face the phenomenon of Italian Sounding. They are fascinated by names reminiscent of those of Italian products and do not understand the difference.

The best-known example is Parmesan, which looks like an Anglicized pronunciation of Parmigiano, but unfortunately there are many other examples. In addition, there is a great use of the colors white, red and green on the packaging, to remember our Tricolor or the use of  Italian definitions to evoke our country without having anything to do with it in reality.

People may find themselves buying products that they believe are Italian cheeses or wines, the “famous” panettone and pandoro, which in Italy are made following specific disciplinary and that when they are imitated they become something completely different, not only are they fake, but they are just different products from the originals, without positive final results and therefore people can begin to believe that after all Italian products are not as exceptional as everyone says.

The Italian Government is trying to find a solution and In the future  a better use of traceability and all those digital solutions, thanks to NFC (Near Field Communication) and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), the Internet of Things and Blockchain in particular will help.

As consumers, what can we do? Some simple tips are:

1. read the labels, not only the one in front of the product but also the one written in small or behind. Does it say it is produced in Italy?

2.look for labels such as DOP, DOC, DOCG, IGP, etc., which define a super control on the products.read our post on DOP,IGP

3.read more about the various products to better understand why they are so special.That’s what we talked about in the blogs about Parmigiano and Aceto Balsamico and if you understand Italian watch the new TV production by Parmigiano Reggiano “ Gli Amigos”

4.use the app.www. Authentico-ita.org

Do you have any other idea of what could be done to guarantee consumers that the product is Italian and of quality?

Do you have the same problem with some products typical of your Country ?