Genoa – Inspectors from the Ministry of Health have detained in the port of Genoa a load of 7 tons of pesto produced by Giovanni Rana in its American factory in Chicago “at 100% with Genoese basil dop. of importation” as stated on the label which also bears the stamp of the consortium for the protection of Genoese basil dop. The pesto was destined for three supermarkets, in France and Spain, of the American chain Costco. Perhaps the ministerial authorities will have seen this as an affront to common sense: how can American pesto be made with Genoese basil? It is an example of “Italian sounding”a term that indicates those products that recall Italy but which in reality are not connected to our country and damage our economy?
No. Giovanni Rana’s pesto from Chicago is really made with PDO Genoese basil that two companies from the Albenga plain, Agraria Anfossi and Compagnia del Basilico, export to the United States. All under the watchful eyes of the consortium of Genoese basil dop and its president Mario Anfossi, until five years ago owner of the homonymous company today owned by the investment fund Avm Sgr.
How much DOP basil is exported to Chicago?
“About 1,800 tons of basil leaves per year, which corresponds to more than half, more or less 60%, of the production of the two companies. It is Genoese DOP basil, grown according to the rules of the consortium in the Albenga plain. It is he grows in the open field in the summer, not in the greenhouse in winter, because the industry wants products all year round and the costs of winter cultivation are too high for mass consumption”.
How do you guarantee it all year round?
“With conservation. Once harvested, the basil is processed with salt and seed oil and then stored in the fridge between zero and one degree. Not frozen, only refrigerated. The preservative is salt. The product thus preserved in this kind of brine is shipped by ship to America in one-ton drums, a total of about 2,500 tons a year.
When did your export to the United States start?
“Twelve years ago. Large-scale industry generates loyalty. When it understands that the product is guaranteed and healthy, it is difficult for them to leave it. We started by supplying the Italian Rana plant, in San Giovanni Lupatoto in the Verona area. Today the two companies in Albenga they mainly supply the American market”.
Why so much interest in the United States for PDO basil?
“For the quality. In America pesto is made with Mexican basil or basil from other sources and no one knows what PDOs are. La Rana has spread this culture and the effects can be seen. Now another American company is also importing PDO basil (the Nuovo Pasta of Stratford, in Connecticut, ed.)”.
Who guarantees that the basil used by Rana is DOP?
“Made in Quality, a certification body for Genoese basil dop controlled by the consortium that I preside over. I authorize the label to bear the consortium brand and the wording Genoese basil dop”
Who authorizes Rana to bear the stamp of the protection consortium?
“Me! Rana and anyone else who claims to use dop basil must request authorization from the consortium. The request must be renewed every year, and documents and purchase invoices must be attached to the application. The traceability of the product must be total, in order to allow us to reconstruct the entire history of that basil, from working the field before sowing to the jar of pesto. Our offices verify the documentation and compare it with the quantity of pesto produced. The two things must match otherwise it means that it has also been used basil from Mexico or from other sources, but this has never happened with Rana”.
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