Counterfeit Italian food products face trade group scrutiny

Is your spaghetti dinner really Italian?
Not if you’re using marinara sauce from a jar, regular supermarket pasta, everyday olive oil or — gasp — grated parmesan cheese, says Pasquale Bova, the Italian trade commissioner to Canada. And he warns it’s a very serious economic issue hurting both Canadian taste buds and Italy’s food export business. So the Toronto office of the commission has just launched its biggest ever advertising campaign to raise consumer awareness about imitation Italian food products. “If you’re not buying Italian, you’re not eating Italian,” Bova said matter of factly in an interview. Canada, the U.S. and Mexico are some of the largest consumers of imitation Italian food products, according to the commission. Meanwhile Canada is among the Top 10 worldwide destinations for real, made-in-Italy food and beverage exports.

http://www.ourwindsor.ca/news-story/5643993-counterfeit-italian-food-products-face-trade-group-scrutiny/