A not-for-profit organisation is helping to protect authentic Italian produce by promoting the certification scheme Italcheck.
Turin-based Italian Identity will bring together representatives from the trade sector, universities, professionals and consumers to support producers through an international network that interacts with companies, institutions and trade associations to promote Italian authenticity inside and outside of Italy.
The organisation will help to protect both brand owners and consumers from counterfeiting and food fraud, it said.
It will use the Italcheck scheme – a new international quality standard that distinguishes authentic Italian products from those not made in Italy – to identify and protect products with the Made in Italy marque.
Marco Masselli, founder of Italcheck, commented: “I’ve always supported the huge value Made in Italy brings to our country. This is why I established Italcheck, to offer transparency to companies and consumers and show them the true value of authentic Italian production. I am proud that my project is able to be a significant part of Italian Identity’s drive of this vital issue.”
The certification scheme was backed up since its inception by Italian food certification body Rina Services, which has been deeply involved in the development of the scheme’s technical content through its subsidiary Agroqualità.
“From the beginning, Rina Services understood the need for an initiative that would endorse the quality and integrity of the Made in Italy brand. It is for this reason that Rina has wholeheartedly supported the objectives of Italcheck,” said Achille Tonani, general manager business assurance for Rina Services.
There are three steps required to gain the accreditation: a manufacturing audit, carried out by Agroqualità; then the certified products are entered into the Italcheck database and, following this, consumers can check a product’s authenticity when shopping using the SmartUtility app.
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