"The biggest challenge we face is that of value. We convinced consumers to spend 10 euros and more for a bottle of wine that lasts a meal, we can't convince them to spend 8 on a bottle of oil that lasts 3 or 4 weeks. We have more than 500 cultivars, a heritage of biodiversity that has no equal: if it is not adequately valued, it risks being a problem ”.
This was stated by Minister Teresa Bellanova during the Oil Table at the Mipaaf convened for a comparison on the current situation and on the sector prospects.
"It is on the value that we must work first," continued the Minister, "and in this. The alliance with the consumer is strategic. We used to always see the oil on offer. Developing the product often. I do not say that the price must be inaccessible but so the supply chain does not hold. On this we ask GDOs and restaurateurs to give us a hand, to act as an intermediary with the citizens for an oil pact.
And also in the catering sector, more oil culture is needed, from the offer to the customer to its use in the kitchen. Restaurants can become the first outposts of cultural change, because if we value the product there, the benefits will fall on each segment. The oil should be considered as a food and not just as a simple dressing ".
Finally, the strategic role of communication. "With Ismea," the Minister concluded, "we launched a communication campaign entitled" Oil on Plate - The Masterpieces of Extra Virgin Olive Oil "that links the theme of art to oil, to confirm that Italy is synonymous with culture and of olive oil. A communication action that will go on throughout the 2020 and that I ask all of you to share as much as possible ".