Food: Italy and France allies for the Mediterranean Diet

The Spanish Secretary of State for Agriculture, Elena Spinosa, met the Italian Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry policies, Paolo De Castro, at Bari where they presented the joint nomination of the Mediterranean diet as cultural, immaterial heritage of Unesco. They announced that next August the Unesco dossier will be ready and within winter 2009 Unesco will take the decision. This dossier will be done by experts from four countries: Spain, Italy, Greece and Morocco.- These experts will be given the task to make out the possible motivations - Elena Spinosa explained – from cultural, social, historical, productive points of view, that can justify such an important recognition by the ONU body- after the Mediterranean diet has been recognized by FAO and WHO as healthy, high quality and accessible food model. This model is based on a balanced consumption of fruit and vegetables, a good quantity of cereals, pulses and fish associated with a limited consumption of red meat and saturated fats; Elena Spinosa explained - this diet is not only a way to keep fit, but it is over all a way to face several diseases as cancer, cholesterol, inflammations and allergies. De Castro underlined: ’the food traditions of the Mediterranean area have to be rediscovered; they are strictly bound to the diet whose name is inspired to our sea; they represent our extraordinary, common identity. De Castro thanked also the Secretary of State Elena Spinosa and the Premier Zapatero for their collaboration to achieve this important acknowledgement from Unesco. ’The Mediterranean diet is a heritage to be kept and spread’ and this initiative is fundamental to reach a good affirmation of the agro- food for its health, peculiarity and- De Castro affirmed- for the high control- standards characterizing the Italian system. The main agricultural productions of the Mediterranean diet represent- as it was said- the 40% of the European agricultural production, reaching a value over € 118 MLN. The amount increases in those countries overlooking the Mediterranean sea. In Italy, over a half of the agricultural production is composed by cereals, fruit, vegetables, olive oil, fish and wine whose production, only in Italy, overcomes €9 MLD. Nowadays the food traditions of the Mediterranean area, and consequently some aspects of the Mediterranean diet, are fading because of the influence of the globalization on our life-styles. It is for this reason that we need a better protection.