AFTER THE SUCCESS OF 2023 THE DOS CONSORTIUM PROJECT DEDICATED TO THE ENHANCEMENT OF SICILIAN PDO, PGI AND QS PRODUCTS STARTS AGAIN

Having concluded the exciting experience of 2023 which saw DOS as the leader of eight educational tours dedicated to as many Sicilian gastronomic excellences, the second cycle of meetings dedicated to Sicilian DOP, IGP and QS products, organized and coordinated again by DOS Sicilia, starts again today, i.e. Association of Consortia for the Promotion and Valorisation of typical Sicilian agri-food products with the DOP, PGI and QS brands which was founded in 2020, with the aim of bringing together for the first time Associations and Consortia for the Valorisation and Protection of quality agricultural production. “The mission of DOS Sicilia is to promote the development and progress in the food sector of the Sicilian Region. The overall value represented by the Protection Consortia present there – explains President Massimo Todaro – reaches over 40 million euros. Currently, there are 17 certified quality agri-food productions participating in it and, thanks to the support of the Sicilian Region, with the Regional Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Mediterranean Fisheries, DOS Sicilia, it will be possible to network and promote, in the markets national and international, these Sicilian products of certified quality. Last year we organized eight educational events that brought people closer to Sicilian products bearing the DOP, IGP and QS brands. We aroused interest and a lot of participation, finding a high level of interest in the public to delve deeper into the value aspects of the productions". Among the main objectives of DOS Sicilia is to encourage the aggregation of producers, as well as enhance, promote and disseminate certified quality Sicilian agricultural and agri-food production through the adoption of sustainable practices in production and transformation, with particular regarding the protection of the environment and personal health. Nonetheless, DOS Sicilia is committed to fighting any attempt at fraud that could affect individual supply chains and promoting sustainable consumption by facilitating the transition to healthy diets following the principles of the Mediterranean Diet. “Thanks to the educational program – continues Todaro – we have brought many experts to the territory of origin directly in contact with consumers, current and future, the activities have varied: guided tastings, visits to the production sites but also show cooking for sector operators and representatives of the media world who were thus able to talk about the specificities of each production after having touched it first hand. This method is believed to be the most effective way to reach the consumer, so much so that we plan to continue the project even after 2024". There will be 9 meetings already scheduled for 2024 and will last one day for each individual event; the beginning of the activities was dedicated to the Monti Iblei DOP Extra Virgin Olive Oil with the first of the appointments dedicated to the individual products and the program, common to each of the productions involved from time to time, will include a moment of discussion and a comprehensive meeting presentation and guided tasting of the product itself. “The DOS Sicilia project is an indispensable opportunity for the development of the quality Sicilian food and wine system – explains Giuseppe Arezzo, president of the Monti Iblei EVO Oil Consortium – collaboration between excellent Consortia is necessary to create a system and be able to grow and aspire to objectives increasingly important. As a Consortium, for years we have been creating synergy with the local educational system in order to support students, who will be the consumers and producers of the future, in training that combines practice with the theory learned. Precisely for this reason we have collaborated for years with the local high schools, hospitality and agriculture, in order to create the best possible training experience. The reopening of the Faculty of Agriculture and Economics with agri-food specialization at the University of Ragusa is another fundamental step towards improving the local agri-food system and an important opportunity to spread our mission to young people even further" . The series of meetings will therefore open with the first educational dedicated to Monti Iblei DOP Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which will take place at the “Galileo Ferraris” Higher Institute in via Nicolò Tommaseo in Ragusa, in addition to the presentation of the Consortium and a meeting dedicated to in-depth study on the product conducted by Dr. Agr. Giuseppe Cicero, a show cooking will take place with recipes suitable for the exaltation of Monti Iblei EVO Oil. The list of members of the DOS Consortium: Cheese Supply Chain 1) Consortium for the Protection of Sicilian Pecorino DOP 2) Consortium for the Protection of Piacentinu Ennese DOP Cheese 3) Consortium of Provola dei Nebrodi DOP Cheese 4) Consortium for the Protection of Ragusano DOP Cheese 5 ) Consortium for the Protection of Vastedda della Valle del Belice PDO Oils and Fats Supply Chain 1) Consortium for the Protection of Extra Virgin Olive Oil PDO Monte Etna 2) Consortium for the Protection of Extra Virgin Olive Oil PDO Monti Iblei 3) Consortium for the Protection and Enhancement of Val di Mazara PDO Extra Virgin Olive Oil Fruit, vegetable and cereal supply chain, fresh or processed 1) Carota Novella di Ispica PGI Consortium 2) Consortium for the Protection of Etna PDO Cherry 3) Consortium for the Protection of Fisheries of Leonforte PGI 4) Consortium for the Protection of the Green Pistachio of Bronte PDO 5) Consortium for the Protection of the Pachino Tomato PGI 6) Consortium for the Protection of Prickly Pear of Etna PDO Supply Chains QS 1) Consortium for the Protection and Enhancement of the QS Collective Brand guaranteed by Sicilian Region for the Lamb/Lamb and Derivatives Supply Chain 2) Consortium for the Protection and Enhancement of the QS Collective Brand guaranteed by the Sicilian Region for the Cow's Milk and Derivatives Supply Chain 3) Consortium for the Protection and Enhancement of the QS Collective Brand guaranteed by Sicilian Region for the sheep's milk and derivatives supply chain