Parma Ham Consortium at Foodex 2007 in Japan

13.03.07

Parma, 13 March 2007 – The Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma is taking part in the Foodex 2007 trade fair, the world’s third most important fair in the food and beverage sector after SIAL and Anuga.  The trade fair officially opens this morning, while in the afternoon there will be a seminar organized by the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE), which is expected to involve the Italian Minister for Agricultural and Forestry Policy Paolo De Castro, the President of the ICE Umberto Vattani, the President of the Torino Wireless Foundation Rodolfo Zich and the Director of the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma Stefano Fanti.  Prosciutto di Parma will be presented as a case study to explain to the Japanese the meaning of the “Protected Designation of Origin” label and what is involved in defending and protecting it. 

Japan is Parma Ham’s fifth biggest market by volume (after France, the USA, Germany and Great Britain).  In 2006 more than 100,000 Parma Hams were exported to Japan, showing a considerable increase of 15%.  Parma Ham makes up 55% of all Japan’s cured ham imports, while other Italian hams make up 32% and 12% come from other countries.  The trend in the medium term is also absolutely positive: from 1999 (54,000 hams exported) to 2006, sales of Prosciutto di Parma doubled.  These brilliant figures are the result of investment in a market that the Consorzio has always believed in and in which they have worked with the support of Italy’s public institutions.  In that regard it is worth mentioning the three-year project that has just been completed in collaboration with representatives of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and the French cheese Comté, with financing from AGEA (the Italian equivalent of the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce) and the European Commission.

“Japan is a difficult market that requires important investments and resources,” remarks Stefano Fanti, speaking from Tokyo.  “Even for a leading product like ours, the help of public institutions is fundamental, which is why I fervently hope that Italian institutions continue to consider the Japanese market a priority and to offer meaningful protection to Italian products in Japan.”

- top -