"On the basis of the mandate that our consortium members have entrusted to us, we have continued to seek new commercial outlets for our branded tomatoes," said Sebastiano Fortunato, president of the Consorzio di promozione e tutela del pomodoro di Pachino Igp (Promotion and Protection Consortium of the Pachino PGI Tomato), when commenting on the agreement made with McDonald's Italia.
Sebastiano Fortunato, president of the Pachino PGI Consortium; in the middle Dario Baroni, CEO McDonald's Italy; Congressman Cannata (right) and Mauro Rosati (left).
"The Pachino Igp tomato, thanks to the relentless work carried out by our entire CDA," explains Fortunato, " has made its way onto the menu of the US fast food colossus. We have signed an agreement with McDonald's Italy that will see the purchase of 250 thousand kilograms of Pachino Igp tomato per year. The collaboration will kick off from the second half of 2023 and will see our branded product, known worldwide, also within the large US chain, which is increasingly oriented toward quality and enhancement of regional supply chains."
This commitment is directed at "supporting Italian supply chains," said, on his part, McDonald's Italia CEO Dario Baroni. "By now, 85 percent of our suppliers are from the Italian food industry. The Pachino Igp tomato is an Italian specialty and we have decided to introduce it in all our products and recipes. This is a significant commitment to support an important Italian consortium. A new collaboration that therefore aims at the enhancement of the Italian food supply chain, but also seeks to address the needs of local producers, after the difficult periods experienced during the past fall due to natural disasters."
The agreement stems from an important mediation desired by the Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida who, after a visit to Pachino in the aftermath of the disastrous events that occurred in recent months, had the idea to bring together the Consorzio del Pomodoro di Pachino Igp with Mc Donald's Italia.
The minister's commitment is reflected in a statement by the vice-chairman of Italy’s Budget, Treasury and Planning Committee, Luca Cannata, who, among the promoters of the agreement, recalled how the protocol is "aimed at focusing on quality in order to increase the value of a product that is native to our land through this collaboration originated through the Minister of Agriculture Lollobrigida, who had the idea of combining it with the McDonald's chain so as to provide an immediate solution to the Pachino Igp Consortium needs, after the disastrous events, floods and winds, that we had in October and November."
The same Minister declared in a social post that "food sovereignty depends on the commitment of introducing branded products, such as the Pachino Igp tomato, in the menus of large commercial chains."
Mauro Rosati, director of Fondazione Qualivita, remarked that the protocol "will bring value to the Pachino chain, which is one of the most important ones we have in Italy, that is distinctive of our nation."
For more information:
Sebastiano Fortunato
Consorzio di Tutela Pomodoro
di Pachino Igp
Via Milano, 2
96018 Pachino (SR) - Italy
+39 0931 595106
segreteria@igppachino.it
www.igppachino.it