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News

ANICAV: 7th Edition of the Filo Rosso del Pomodoro

12/12/2019 - François-Xavier Branthôme - Lire en français

Reputation is a strategic asset in the sector

As stated during the conference held on 29 November in Naples, the ANICAV has set itself the mission to improve the entire Italian processing tomato industry and its products, which are one of the most important sectors of the country's food industry. The round tables held on that day, which brought together partners of the sector in moments of encounter and confrontation, enabled a better analysis of current problems and provided proposals for problem-solving and competitive strategies for companies of the sector.

Antonio Ferraioli
"During the 2019 processing season, production increased by about 6.5% compared to 2018, although only 4.8 million tonnes of tomatoes were processed. It is a production level comparable to that of last year, but with a significant reduction compared to what had been programmed. Internal consumption data shows that the negative trend is continuing, while exports are performing well and offsetting the decline in domestic consumption. So foreign markets are still seen as a major growth driver," said Antonio Ferraioli, President of the ANICAV. A number of critical points remain, according to Mr. Ferraioli, "which concern the entire industry and therefore the ANICAV, and have justified the commission of a study from the Reputation Institute in order to assess ways to increase the credibility of the sector and enhance its image."

As part of the efforts undertaken in terms of recognition, "the ANICAV supported the two Italian Pomodoro IOs during the submission to the Ministry of Agriculture, in January 2018, of an application for recognition of a voluntary certification whose objective is to improve quality. Similarly, the ANICAV is also working on developing the Protected Designation of Origin of the San Marzano tomato for the production of peeled tomatoes, with the aim of targeting the American market," added President Ferraioli.

Developing the "social capital" of companies
For Fabio Ventoruzzo of the Reputation Institute, "90% of market value today depends on intangible assets such as research, innovation and reputation. The latter represents the ‘social gold’ of the company, insofar as it motivates an increase in sales and the willingness of a growing number of people to work towards its development.
Currently 6 out of 10 Italians express a positive opinion in terms of their perception of the sector, but their opinion is less favorable with regard to products themselves. Consumption levels of canned tomatoes are most often related to the convenience of preparation rather than to the quality of the products. We need to invest in communication to reach consumers and the big retail outlets by creating emotion through careful labeling."

Teresa Bellanova

"The tomato industry is not a dirty industry," said Agriculture Minister Teresa Bellanova. "There are definitely companies that commit crimes, and they have to be punished for that. The phenomenon of the caporalato – illegal employment – which has been wrongly attributed exclusively to the tomato sector, actually also concerns other industries. In order to build up a solid reputation, we must tell consumers that transparency is an important value, a right that they can expect, and that it is our duty to ensure it. It is only by collaborating with consumers that we can enhance the value of these products." The minister went on to stress the absolute necessity "to prohibit unfair competition between companies because it does a disservice to the sector. Online reverse auction practices are detrimental to the entire industry. We must continue to fight for fairer prices; as of next season, a telematics platform will be set up to supervise the legal recruitment of the workforce. Environmental, social and economic sustainability must accompany all future tomato seasons."

First round-table discussion, from left to right: Gianmarco Laviola, Bruna Saviotti, Francesco Mutti and Antonio Ferraioli
"Despite the intrinsic value of tomatoes in terms of nutritional contribution and as an emblem of ‘Made in Italy’ productions, the processing sector is extremely poor. By not giving its fair value to this product, the sector is losing some of its dignity. We must intervene with industry-wide proactive projects to restore the image of tomato products, by re-educating consumers to accept a fairer price. In addition, in order to avoid losing competitiveness, it is necessary to invest in active communication that gives greater credibility to the national system," said Francesco Mutti, CEO of Mutti Spa.

Commenting on market results, Bruna Saviotti, Managing Director of Tomato Farm, explained: "The most significant decline is in the peeled tomatoes category, with a drop of 6.2%, and also in pulps where there has been a decline of 3.6%. Results for cherry tomatoes are still negative but a little less worrying, with a 1% decrease. In the semi-finished products category, it is competition that influences the price, with the result that our sector is now positioned correctly and that the prices are fixed higher than those of our Spanish competitors. We are also relying on labeling regulations because they can bring benefits to the whole industry: what needs to be communicated to consumers is the healthy nature of the product."

Gianmarco Laviola, General Manager of Princess Industria Alimentare, announced "the signing of an agreement with Coldiretti to guarantee a fair price for growers, who benefit from the appropriate training to guarantee a quality product, by monitoring the industry via a ‘blockchain’ system to ensure increased traceability and food safety. With the project ‘Working without borders’, we want to strengthen the social value of the company and the possibility of appropriately including immigrant workers."

As for Tiberio Rabboni, President of the northern Italy Pomodoro IO, he described what is being done to optimize tomato production, including collaboration with plant-health services in order to manage the main problems affecting crops and quickly identify plant diseases, the institution of organic and integrated production itineraries, and support measures for regional denominations.

Guglielmo Vaccaro, President of the south-central Italy Pomodoro processing tomato IO, stated that "the south-central basin is characterized by a fairly fragmented industrial fabric. It is therefore very difficult to fight against negative dynamics. The IO of the south-central region has only been in existence for ten months. So much work remains to be done, but we strongly believe in working with the northern Italy IO. On 8 January 2020, an ethics and sustainable development protocol will be approved."

From left to right: Giovanni De Angelis, Gennaro Velardo, Gianluigi Di Leo

Speaking about the initiative "Il Pomodoro: buono per te, buono per la ricerca" ("Tomato – good for you, good for research"), a collaboration between the ANICAV and the Umberto Veronesi Foundation for pediatric oncology research, Giovanni De Angelis, executive Director of ANICAV, said that "the results of this research could be used to support decision-making processes and communication strategies of both the companies involved and the association, with the aim of promoting and defending the reputation of a sector that represents a large – if not the largest – sector of the Italian fruit and vegetable processing industry, both in terms of turnover and of the quantities produced, playing a strategic and essential role in the Italian food industry."

Source: freshplaza.it, agronotizie.imagelinenetwork.com, Anicav

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