Roundup: Nutrition-themed Milan Expo highlights Sino-Italian potential ties in food sector

The nutrition-themed Milan world exposition was an occasion for Chinese and Italian industry experts to exchange their views on the potentials and difficulties of collaboration in the food sector.

During a round table organized earlier this week at the China Pavilion, Tang Qiqing, chairman of Shanghai Fisheries General Corporation Group (SFGCG), said there is huge space for growth of exchanges in his sector.

"But at the same time, the different habits and lifestyles between Europe and Asia have long restricted the communication between eastern and western seafood," he highlighted.

The "Belt and Road" initiative China-proposed in 2013 to revive the ancient route will provide a "terrific path for international cooperation on human health," Tang said.

For example, in his view, if the Chinese market accepts the processed seafood that is most popular in the west, not only it will reduce the waste and safety problem arising from eating whole fish, but it will also help the rebalance between food demand of human and marine resources conservation.

Roberto Sgavetta, CEO of Coop Italian Food Group, the largest retail chain in Italy, highlighted the complexity of penetrating markets with strong food traditions, such as China and Italy, two countries with an ancient culinary history. But for the same reason the potential is huge, and can be enhanced by investing in respective differences and peculiarities, he pointed out.

The path of organic food is even more difficult thus particularly rich of challenges and potential, said Roberto Pinton, company secretary at AssoBio, the Italian association of organic food processing and trading companies, which represents 55 businesses or around 50 percent of the Italian organic food market.

Since 2008, the organic food market has grown every year by more than 10 percent, Pinton said, both in Italy and in many countries in the world. "The positive performance was likely to be enhanced by the economic crisis, which has encouraged consumers to invest in quality, which means culture, food security and sustainability," he stressed.

"We know that China is also more and more interested in organic food, which can create considerable chances of collaboration with Italy. We have to remember that these two countries are the only ones with a consistent presence of restaurants everywhere in the world," he noted.

Unfortunately presently there is a lack of equivalent certifications regarding organic food in China and in the European Union (EU), which hampers bilateral exchanges, Pinton said. He wished that both sides will take steps to improve the related regulations and allow companies to seize the opportunities of the huge market. Enditem