A European Chocolate Itinerary that crosses the "confectionary axis" of Italy. In the provinces of Belluno, Cuneo, L'Aquila, Perugia, Ragusa and Turin are active approx 80 small and medium enterprises which they produce almost every year 2.300 tons of chocolate. And precisely to protect their traditions, the "Chocolates of Italy" project was born, promoted by the "Fine Chocolate Organization" and by the Consortium for the Protection of Artisanal Chocolate of Modica, in collaboration with the Chambers of Commerce of the Italian chocolate districts and Unioncamere.
The main objective of the initiative is "to safeguard and enhance local Italian artisanal productions, helping them to establish themselves on international markets", claims the president of Unioncamere Ferruccio Dardanello.
Paolo De Castro, president of the European Parliament's Agriculture Commission, explains instead that “since the 90s, the protection of food quality has been an integral part of the common agricultural policy choices. The approval of the 'quality package' by the agriculture commission represents the last stage of this process. And it is in this sense that the inclusion of chocolate in the Annex of the new EC regulation represents an opportunity not to be missed to enhance one of the most important Italian agri-food products”.
