A technical round table to discuss sustainability, the new frontier for PGI tomatoes from Pachino to promote the territory and its most famous product, took place on June 29th 2021 at Consorzio di tutela del pomodoro IGP and was attended by partners and technicians.
The speakers' table
President Sebastiano Fortunato explained that "the consortium is working on different fronts. Last week, after we took part in a convention on the ToBRFV virus, we had the pleasure of meeting prof. Davino, who said he was available to draft a protocol to manage the disease through all production steps. ToBRFV is spreading and we need to stop it before things get worse. We need to find a way to live with this pathogen. We also discussed the alarming increase in the prices of raw materials, as it is putting the income and development of companies at risk. We addressed social parties to find shared solutions. This convention in particular focuses on sustainability to valorize local produce, and we are already working on it thanks to intensive greenhouse cultivation."
Consortium technician Sebastiano Barona added that "today's meeting is an occasion to reflect on geographical indication (GI) products due to the prompts we get from consumers and European Commission consultations, both of whom expressed the need to include explicit sustainability criteria linked with the consolidated quality of GI products."
Sustainability is in fact gaining importance within new European policies, as it is becoming an essential prerequisite for all products, including geographical indication ones."
Twenty years after the provisional recognition of the famous tomato, the Consortium has reached considerable goals - 10 million kg of PGI-marked tomatoes and a turnover of around €20 million.
The produce is grown on approximately 1500 hectares of protected crops with 5,000 operators on all levels (entrepreneurs, assistance, workforce including laborers and sorters).
To strengthen the reputation of PGI tomatoes from Pachino, the Consortium is focusing on implementing sustainability principles by obtaining certifications.
Certifications and their technicalities were discussed by Fabio Bianciardi, Sales & Marketing Leader of QCertificazioni at Gruppo Bureau Veritas Italia, who talked about the SQNPI - Sistema Qualità Nazionale Produzione Integrata certification.
Simone D'Errico, Business Developer HSE Bureau Veritas Nexta, also part of Gruppo Bureau Veritas Italia, shared his vision on Carbon Footprint, while technical specifications and the "Nickel Free" certification for a safe and sustainable production allowing operators to be more competitive were discussed by Mario Cugno, Zone Sales Coordinator Sicilia at Bureau Veritas Italia.
Felice Bordonaro, former director of the Sialab laboratory also talked about heavy metals - he highlighted the value of Ni-free tomatoes as a pharmacopeia product, i.e. similar to that of Gluten free products.
"The objective would be that of having the Ni-free mark apply to all 1500 hectares so as to add further value to PGI tomatoes from Pachino. This could be easier than it seems, as this chemical element is practically absent from our soils. This would meet the needs of that 6% of the population that is allergic to Nickel," explained Bordaro.
Finally, sustainability also applies to the new packaging, now made of compostable mixed cardboard covered with a fully biodegradable PLA film obtained from corn. The new solution is already in use and has been considered suitable for both 300 g cherry and plum tomato as well as for 350 g ribbed tomato packets.
For further information:
Sebastiano Fortunato
Consorzio di Tutela Pomodoro
di Pachino Igp
Via Milano, 2
96018 Pachino (SR)
+39 0931 595106
segreteria@igppachino.it
www.igppachino.it