THE CHAMBER'S PROJECT The Chamber of Commerce of Vibo Valentia has acquired more than ten years' experience in the promotion and protection of the typical agri-food products of the area of Vibo Valentia. Since 2000, several projects have been launched to protect important productions of the gastronomic culture of the area - such as Pecorino del Monte Poro, Mostaccioli di Soriano, Tartufo di Pizzo, 'Nduja di Spilinga, and Bottarda of tuna - representative of the typical agri-food sector products of Calabria.Again during those years the Chamber of Commerce of Vibo Valentia, with the support of the Associations for local productions, has undertaken the path of recognition, through the instrument of the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), of Peperoncino Calabrese, always considered as one of the best-known and more appreciated traditional agri-food product of Calabria.
Further to the projects to enhance agri-food productions, between 2006 and 2008, the Chamber of Commerce of Vibo Valentia carried out several initiatives to support the competitiveness of the local agri-food sectors enterprises, by means of operational tools (guides, handbooks) which have given to the operators in-depth explanations on the developments of the complex sanitary regulations and also regarding the labelling, packaging and advertising of their food products. Local activities of dissemination supported these initiatives, with the aim to extend, to a wider customer base, the results obtained with regards to the projects. This is the framework for the project realised by the Chamber of Commerce of Vibo Valentia for the promotion of the Mediterranean Diet, with particular reference to the products of the area of Nicotera. The tool used has been the one of the Geographical Collective Mark, established by Legislative Decree No 10 February 2005 n. 30, to stress the importance of the local restaurant industry through the proposal of menus in accordance to the principles of the Mediterranean Diet and employing, as much as possible, the raw materials and ingredients originating in the district of Nicotera. The project has laid down the establishment of the Regulation for the use of the trademark (a document containing all the rules of granting and withdrawal and the requirements for the selection of all the restaurant owners operating in conformity with the principles of the Mediterranean Diet) and of the Specification (with the list of the typical local dishes in line with the nutrional principles of the Mediterranean Diet). The Mediterranean Diet, characterized by a balanced consumption of foods rich in fibres, antioxidants, and unsaturated fats, is based on the studies conducted, in Italy and in particular in the town of Nicotera, in the municipality of Vibo Valentia, by the American professor Ancel Keys. The researcher was able to prove that the consumption of certain foods (such as vegetables, fruits, blue fish, legumes, olive oil, wine) helps to reduce the incidence of coronary heart diseases and his results were taken as reference for treatment and prevention of eating disorders, such as obesity. It is on these scientific bases that the project, supported by the Chamber of Commerce, is developed with the aim to enhance, by giving it a territorial connotation, the Mediterranean Diet, which has recently become part of the UNESCO world heritage site.
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