TourDop, the DOP economy explained in 30 stops throughout Italia

7 May sees the start of TourDOP, the series of meetings promoted by Origin Italia in collaboration with Fondazione Qualivita to bring the theme of the PDO economy to Italian territories, large cities, universities and cultural venues. The project, with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture of Food Sovereignty and Forests (Masaf), envisages more than 30 seminars throughout Italia, with the direct involvement of protection consortia and representatives of the academic world, professional organisations, local institutions, schools and cultural associations, as well as chefs, distribution operators and protagonists of the PDO and PGI supply chains.

The aim is to open a dialogue with civil society on the value of Italian Geographical Indications, explaining in a simple and accessible way how PDO and PGI products represent a fundamental part of the country's identity. A system that holds together economy, culture, territory, work, community and responsibility.

The Italian PDO economy is today one of the most widespread and recognisable infrastructures of the Italian agri-food industry. It counts almost 900 Geographical Indication products, including food, wine and spirits, distributed throughout the peninsula. A productive heritage that generates 20.7 billion euro in production value, over 12 billion euro in exports, involves 184,000 operators, 330 Protection Consortia authorised by Masaf, and more than 864,000 employees along the certified supply chains. Numbers that tell of a productive Italia made up of enterprises, territories, local knowledge and organised communities.

TourDOP was conceived as a cultural and educational pathway dedicated to citizens, students, public administrators, producers and operators in the sector. Each stage will involve experts, directors of the Protection Consortia, academics, institutional representatives and figures from the cultural and professional world, involving over 150 speakers in an open dialogue on the value of the DOP economy.

The meetings will also be an opportunity to present the book 'La filosofia della Dop economy', written by Mauro Rosati, with a preface by Umberto Galimberti and published by Treccani, a volume that proposes a new reading of the Italian Geographical Indications system.