Not a seasoning, but a real one
food. THE'
olive oil it represents a heritage of Italian agriculture, but telling it, even abroad, is anything but easy. This was discussed today at the Festival of Food Journalism. "The consumer must be put in a position to be informed," he explained
Anna Rufolo, head of the CIA oil sector, Confederation of Italian farmers - must be able to choose what to buy, because there are so many varieties on the market. It is fundamental to understand the origin ". According to Rufolo," you can better convey the product if you know what is behind it, everything must be indicated on the label, from the producer to the geographical origin. The differences between the various types are important, because the differences are the richness of our agriculture ". The oil sector in Italy counts
800 thousand companies on one million hectares, many small businesses. The mills are 4.900 throughout the national territory, while the industrial companies are 220. For
Paulius Jurkevicius, journalist of the Foreign Press Association in Italy "
explaining oil abroad is very difficult. The news today is free, fast, accessible to all, but food journalism can be good or bad. A journalist who explains oil above all in Northern Europe must deal with many prejudices, starting from the fact that it is a food that is not part of the history of these countries. Then there is the sensory problem, the bitter taste of extra virgin olive oil is not much loved, and there is the problem of cost. Furthermore, the fact that oil is good for health is not perceived abroad. Communication is often faked, olive oil is often treated as one of the many oils, antioxidants and polyphenols are never spoken of. "On olive oil, he explained
Antonio Vittorino Gaddi, a nutritionist cardiologist, there are almost 800 scientific publications. "The extra virgin olive oil with a high content of polyphenols - he explained - has an antioxidant and protective action, which acts favorably on some risk factors. But what matters is the whole diet, which must include the two essential fatty acids without removing saturated fats altogether. You need to keep your feet on the ground, proper nutrition is a serious matter, diets act within a lifetime, not within a month, no food acts in the short term, often observations that are made are incorrect ".
