Common OriginExpo 2015
We make our own the old and ingenious intuition of Luigi Veronelli, the first to propose that it should be the municipality that officially recognises food specialities: its proximity to places of production and direct interest in developing local systems of production and distribution make the municipality the first real guardian of our agri-food and anthropological values. This is the starting point for the new Anci Lazio project, whose title, Origine Comune (Common Origin), summarises the main objective of its implementation.
The strategy is both simple and ambitious: to bring to light and foster the development of all those traditional food specialities (PAT) already registered by the regional administration, which are excellent from an organoleptic point of view, but which cannot aspire to PDO and PGI recognition due to their production dimension. Many of these products already experience moments of local fame, for example during religious festivals, fairs or festivities linked to civil festivities, but almost never leave the circle of the food culture of the country or local community, and in any case have a limited degree of economic valorisation. Many specialities risk disappearing for this reason, also due to the difficulties of passing on processing know-how to younger generations, or, as may happen in other cases, specialities are watered down through the substitution of low-cost raw materials from outside, or even from abroad.
Origine Comune intends first of all to create a simple and practical model for the organisation of guarantee services by the municipalities, adopting the method of Veronelli's DeCo, but not stopping at product recognition alone, but rather integrating protection actions with product valorisation, involving in these the entire productive and commercial fabric of the municipality, in particular tourism, catering, and small-scale food distribution. The project starts with a promotional week at the Milan Expo - Cascina Triulza, as part of the Lazio Expo - Arsial project. Each day of this week is dedicated to a traditional type of product, and will see the exemplary participation of a number of Lazio product types. After this launch moment, we will move on to the broader phase of involving all the municipalities that have nominated their products for participation in the project, with the study of customised valorisation paths. The range of products, thus formed, can be promoted in a joint and integrated manner both locally and outside the Region.
