Made in Italy is a brand that is strong all over the world. And it is precisely for this reason that the risk of "imitation" is around the corner. Abroad, the Italian Sounding products, especially in the agri-food sector, the flagship of the Italian economy.
Italian Sounding: what is it and how does it work?
Have you ever heard of the “Parmesan” or “Pomarola”? If so, please know that you were faced with the Italian Sounding phenomenon. In fact, this expression indicates products - especially food - which are passed off as "made in Italy" in order to attract consumer interest, but which are actually produced elsewhere. It is a real fraud that uses names, images and color combinations (green, white and red above all, but also blue) that evoke Italy to promote and market goods produced elsewhere.
How many Italian Sounding products are there?
According to the latest survey carried out by the 7 Italian Chambers of Commerce abroad present in Australia, Brazil, Poland and Russia, to date over 600 Italian Sounding products spread around the world.
The category most affected by the phenomenon is that of dairy products for 23,6% of products that evoke authentic Made in Italy, followed by pasta (22,8%), meat-based products (16,3%) and drinks for 13,6%, including which are the wine and sparkling wines to hold the greatest incidence within the beverage sector (11,5%).
"The limitations due to the pandemic have favored local imitations, prompting foreign countries to replace Italian products with Italian Sounding ones, using denominations, colors and images with clear references to Italy, even though they do not belong at all to typical productions of our country". explains Assocamerestero in a note.
The survey that monitored the trend and diffusion of the phenomenon in the reference markets, highlighted a substantial reduction in consumer prices of Italian Sounding products compared to the original Italian product available in the 4 countries involved. In particular, "wine is the Italian Sounding product for which the abatement is higher, (-44,9%), followed by pasta (-32,0%), coffee (-30,3%) present in Australia and Russia, and lastly by condiments (-29,0%), which on the Brazilian and Polish markets can cost half the equivalent Italian product”, Assocamerestero states.
From a geographical point of view, imitations of Italian food products are particularly present in emerging countries and in those whose consumers enjoy greater spending power – from China to Australia, from South America to the United States. Italian Sounding products have also conquered large segments of the market also in Russia, where the embargo on Italian products due to the sanctions imposed by the European Union has favored the proliferation of imitations of authentic Made in Italy.
Because Italian Sounding is a danger
The study is part of the True Italian Taste Project, promoted and financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, as part of the government campaign "The Extraordinary Italian Taste". The report talks about an increasingly widespread phenomenon that puts Italian exports at risk. Especially with regard to the agri-food sector which, after the pandemic, managed to raise its head again, reaching an all-time record of +11,1%, for a value of 52 billion euros.
“If on the one hand the attention of consumers has shifted towards the quality, safety and sustainability of products, favoring the consumption of Made in Italy products, in particular certified productions, on the other hand the limits imposed by the pandemic have unfortunately , favored in many countries the proliferation of Italian Sounding products”, explained Gian Domenico Auricchio, President of Assocamerestero. "For this reason - he continued - the Italian Chambers of Commerce Abroad continue to carry out constant action on foreign territories to raise consumer awareness of the consumption and purchase of authentic Italian products."
