In the twelfth edition of the work, over 540 updates, 11 new products and a reasoned introduction on the new challenges with comments made by authoritative authors
Presented in the setting of Borgo Solomeo, a symbolic place of Made in Italy quality, the Qualivita Atlas 2024 - Treccani edition, the only work that brings together in a single volume Italian DOP, IGP, TSG agri-food and wine products and spirit drinks Geographical Indication.
The presentation of the work was enriched by the round table "The culture of Made in Italy". The central theme of the meeting is linked to the cultural aspects on which to focus to consolidate Made in Italy in an ethical and evolutionary key. Among the interventions was that of Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, who underlined how the defense of the names of Italian products, which describe a safe system, respectful of the environment and work that arises from millennia of research, is a fundamental step for the future of the sector .
The owner of the house, Brunello Cucinelli, spoke about the values of work. “We must invest in moral sustainability, manufacturing is the added value of Italian production so we must learn to enhance it so that future generations are proud of their work”.
The new edition of the volume arrives precisely on the occasion of the green light for the new single European text on quality production which has taken many elements from the Italian model of supply chains and PDO PGI protection consortia described in the work.
In the Qualivita Atlas there is space for a vision of the agri-food sector capable of unifying the sectors of food, wine and spirits as a model for the protection and development of territories and of Made in Italy excellence.
In the 2024 edition there are over 540 updates that enrich the story: 11 new Geographical Indication products, 108 modifications of the specifications, original images and maps; for the first time a reasoned introduction with editorials on "Made in Italy" bearing the signature of Brunello Cucinelli, Riccardo Cotarella, Enrico Bartolini, Luca Mercalli, Sara Simeoni, Paolo De Castro and Mauro Rosati as well as in-depth analysis on current issues in the sector such as quality, certification, trends in the food, wine and spirits sectors, biodiversity, culture, Dop economy.
The Qualivita Atlas, now in its twelfth edition, collects and tells through an encyclopedic corpus the identity of the Italian agri-food heritage represented by the 887 national Geographical Indication products protected at European level.
The work, the third published by the Institute of the Italian Encyclopedia – Treccani, is created by the Qualivita Foundation with the collaboration of Origin Italia, AssoDistil and the Italian PDO PGI Protection Consortia and offers a journey that crosses the country describing each of these products, widespread in 100% of the Italian provinces, natural expression of local history and tradition, but also a driving force for the conservation of the territories of origin and their development.
A cultural value also demonstrated by the close connections of PDO PGI products with some UNESCO recognitions of rural sites in our country and by the candidacy of Italian cuisine, the backbone of the Mediterranean Diet, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But the Atlas also tells the story of the affirmation of the concept of food as culture, a path that has distant roots and which today, thanks to the wealth of knowledge of Geographical Indications, proves to include social, environmental and historical elements.
The journey through Italy's agri-food treasures also has the task of underlining how, in today's phase of great changes, the PDO PGI supply chains make non-delocalised production a driver of growth and protection of communities and the environment: a combination that combines economic development through quality products with constant attention to the protection of natural and human factors capable of preserving, thanks to production regulations, the great environmental and cultural biodiversity of Italy.
It is to facilitate this process that a cultural and scientific tool such as the Qualivita Atlas was created and continuously updated which, composed of 1064 pages, is divided into the three sections Food, Vibo and Spirit Drinks, divided into individual files of 527 wine denominations, 35 spirit drinks and 325 agri-food products.
“The Qualivita 2024 Atlas is an extraordinary testimony to the great work carried out by all operators in the Italian agri-food supply chains, which makes us proud. It represents a further stimulus to protect and enhance our food culture and the winning model represented by Made in Italy - declared the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida. Made in Italy means economy, tradition, biodiversity, protection of territories and landscapes, attraction for tourism, but also culture, identity and values. Italians know how to transform raw materials into excellence, in all sectors. Quality is our distinctive feature."
“The Qualivita Atlas is first and foremost an agro-food education tool, with which we want to offer updated and qualified information on the certified Italian food and wine sector” – stated Mauro Rosati, author of the work and General Director of the Qualivita Foundation. The Italian DOP economy is a success story that deserves to be documented because it photographs the evolution of the country from the 1990s to today through the quality foods and wines that have made us protagonists in the world. The partnership with Treccani, once again, certifies the value of agri-food as an Italian cultural heritage, delivering recognition and renewed responsibility to companies, protection consortia and all operators in the system".
“The food and wine excellences of our country – underlined Massimo Bray, Director General of the Institute of the Italian Encyclopedia – are an extraordinary heritage of economic and cultural wealth, which in the pages of the Qualivita Atlas is carefully surveyed in all its complexity and variety, while at the same time drawing a more exhaustive map of our territory and the quality of its products". (Source: Qualivita Foundation)