A program on a UA flight (LHR-ORD) this past weekend included a brief piece about the International Association of Italian Restaurants.

In efforts similar to the no sparkling wine will be called Champagne unless produced in the region of Champagne, the Italian government wants to try to regulate what and Italian restaurant serves if they are to call themselves an Italian restaurant.

The program listed the following to happen if a restaurant is "certified Italian"

The restaurant would use Italian products - sounds good, but how practical will it be to ship perishable goods and what will this do to the food cost at these restaurants. I see either a nice rise in the cost of the meal or a decline in the quality of the meal or worse yet, both.

The restaurant would have Italian staff including the chef - while not listed in the release below, it was mentioned on the UA program. Somehow an Italian chef can cook Italian food better than all other chefs out there. This is a bunch of Bullshirt.

The following is a release I saw re: this.


"by Italian Trade Commission

NEW YORK
October 31, 2002
The ever-growing popularity of Italian restaurants worldwide has prompted the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the International Association of Italian Restaurants (ARDI) to take necessary precautions to protect Italy’s gastronomic traditions.

Italian cuisine, unique in terms of quality and breadth, has contributed enormously to the success of the country’s trademark and image throughout the world. Its prestige is closely connected with the idea of Italy as a place where much attention is given to the genuine qualities of its wine and food products and the health benefits often associated to them, so much so that the world has come to associate the concept of “quality of life” to the country of Italy.

However, with the prestige comes the reality that Italy’s culinary traditions are being falsified throughout the world. Italian cuisine, often considered a marketable and powerful symbol, is easily imitated in the absence of any codified rules or any official classification of its recipes that may otherwise protect its integrity. As a result, anyone, even someone lacking any knowledge of Italy’s gastronomic culture, its agricultural products or its recipes, may claim the Italian trademark and profit from its reputation and commercial value.

How many Italian restaurants — Italian-style to be exact — are there in the world? Many thousands. According to the Italian Trade Commission, in the United States there are about 15,000 restaurants that claim to be Italian. However, no more than 2,000 can truly be considered such in respect to the quality of their Italian dishes, the products and style offered to their clientele.

Globally there are more than 55,000 Italian restaurants with total annual sales of about 27 billion euros (or about $26.6 billion), according estimates from the Italian Ministry of Agriculture. However, many are Italian only in name but not in reputation.

Too often, as a result of this misinterpretation of the Italian cuisine, consumers are unable to recognize and therefore appreciate Italy’s true trademark. Instead, they are frequently presented with products and preparations that have nothing to do with Italian culinary traditions and culture.

Today, a new strategy has been taken by Italian authorities to support and protect the estimated 20 to 25% of authentic Italian restaurants throughout the world, by offering them a well-defined and codified identity. The Ministry of Agricultural Policies and Forestry, in collaboration with the ARDI, has launched the “Trademark of Authenticity of Italian Restaurants Abroad” campaign. The objective is the creation of an international circuit of certified Italian restaurants in which consumers are certain to find genuine products, recipes and the style of Italy.

This project will surely lead to a cultural leap forward in the availability of genuine Italian cuisine benefiting the “Made-in-Italy” label in general and, therefore, exports of Italian food products worldwide. The process of certifying Italian restaurants abroad will be based on several fundamental points, such as respect for culinary tradition, promotion of typical products, food safety, service and ambience. The project will assure customers that a restaurant that displays the Italian “trademark of authenticity” respects the highest of standards.

The Italian Ministry of Agriculture has established a special committee consisting of representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Foreign Trade, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Italian Trade Commission and the Association of Foreign Chambers of Commerce (Assocamerestero) as well as the ARDI. The panel will decide on the characteristics that a restaurant must possess in order to display the Italian emblem. The factors taken into consideration to award the trademark of authenticity to a particular establishment include the quality of the dishes served, the kind of products used, the accuracy and variety of the menus and the type of service and style provided.

Certification will be the responsibility of a third-party authority that specializes in food sector certifications. The “Trademark of Authenticity” project will kick off with a pilot project in Belgium expected to begin in the next several months in conjunction with the Italy’s turn as leader of the European Union. The program will be extended to the United States and Japan beginning in September of next year.

The organizers are hopeful that this project will represent an opportunity to validate Italy through the export of its true culinary culture and, more generally, its style of life."