It was also discussed during the third day, at the conference "PNRR: Tools for young agri-food entrepreneurs" organized by the Youth of Confagricoltura - ANGA and Federalimentare.
“ The PNRR can contribute to relaunching the agricultural and agri-food world, today we have found that the tools are suitable, we just need pragmatism and certain times ” - declared Francesco Mastrandrea, President of the Youth of Confagricoltura , speaking at the conference.
“ However, we must avoid excesses and leaps forward - warned Alessandro Squeri, President of Federalimentare Youth - Sustainability is a central theme, but we cannot allow it to become a synonym for degrowth. It must be understood in terms of innovation for the entire supply chain, but without this becoming a limit ”.
The PNRR allocates more than 30% of the total (almost 60 billion euros) to the green revolution and ecological transition, of which 2.8 billion are dedicated to sustainable agriculture and the circular economy, with investments concerning the development of a smart and sustainable agricultural and food supply chain.
On the subject of nutritional labeling of food products, the position of Confagricoltura, expressed yesterday during the conference "Nutritional information in Europe", should be noted. “ The game being played is wide - said Massimiliano Giansanti, President of Confagricoltura - because it concerns the future of Italian agriculture and the food industry, it is the match between synthetic food and that generated from the earth. It must be said that at the European level the positions on Nutriscore, initially contrary to the Italian position, are changing. Together with the entire supply chain we can win the battle in defense of correct information, agriculture and the entire agri-food sector ".
Also yesterday, within The Hub, the Horeca companies area, a conference was held, organized by Dolcitalia, on the problems of the bar, restaurant and similar sector. " The world of Horeca is coming out of a very difficult period, which however gives us the opportunity for a great change - said Stefano Raffaglio, Director of Dolcitalia - The channel needs to increase the cultural, organizational and professional level and take decisive steps towards digitization ”.
Yesterday, in the evening, a debate organized by IlGusto.it was held at Cibus Off , in the center of Parma, with the participation of Antonio Cellie, CEO of Fiere di Parma , and Giovanni Mantovani, General Manager of Veronafiere .
" Food companies have recognized Cibus for the courage and vision in having thought of an edition of Cibus inaugurated at the end of August - said Cellie - we will arrive at the next edition with a progression that launches a message of trust for the sector, the fair and the territory ".
" What we did in Verona in June and what we see today in Parma tells us that the restart of our sector is built on solid foundations - said Mantovani - From an exhibition point of view, we may not yet be at 100%, however yes it begins to have a certain consistency ”.
Returning to the third day of Cibus, it opened with a conference on “ Farm to Fork: food waste and sustainabilility in Europe ”, curated by Plug and Play Italy. Among the topics covered, that of food waste. Sustainability in the food sector, it has been said, above all means reducing waste caused by a multitude of inadequate processes, such as excessive production and inefficiency in inventory management, but also opportunities for improvement in sales and final consumption processes. According to the FAO, it is possible to distinguish between the concepts of food loss, which occurs before the product is finalized and distributed, and food waste, relating to what is wasted by retailers and final consumers.
Speaking of food waste, it should be remembered that in Cibus, the surplus food of the exhibiting companies is donated to the Banco Alimentare Onlus Foundation , which distributes it to charitable structures in the area.
The first Mutti Environmental Report was also presented on the same day, the result of monitoring work which, together with an initial investment of 1.5 million euros in the period 2022-24, is dedicated exclusively to environmental sustainability projects.
Finally, Tespi Mediagroup today awarded the commitment of companies that have distinguished themselves in the design and implementation of marketing and communication activities in the calendar year 2020. Awards assigned to 101 operators in the sector, including numerous buyers of Italian distribution, such as Coop Italia, Conad, Esselunga, Carrefour, Il Gigante, Despar, Crai, Iperal, Pam Panorama, Coralis, Coal, Todis, Megamark, Decò, Poli Group, Unicomm, Iper, Migross.
