S.sustainability And traceability these are the new pillars in the world of catering, concepts fortunately increasingly known and sought after by everyone for a healthy and correct diet. And if we consider the importance of respecting the environmental impact of the products we eat and their origin, more and more restaurants are also committed to hold (and therefore trace) the entire supply chain from which the ingredients that serve on the table come from. And it’s not science fiction, this year’s law shows us the near future of cooking.
A focus on sustainability
As a demonstration of how much this trend has already been acknowledged, the new one has arrived law on zero-km agri-food products and short supply chain approved on 11 May. The main objective of this law is to promote the adoption of this supply chain model and the consumption of these productsas well as to ensure the consumer a deeper knowledge of the origin of what he consumes.
According to what the new law defines, therefore, by zero km products we mean those agri-food products coming from the same province or products within a radius maximum of 70 kilometers from the place of sale or consumption of the catering service. The short supply chain, on the other hand, refers to the absence of commercial intermediaries or to the presence of only one intermediary between producer and final consumer.. Measures are also introduced to encourage the sale of these products and the meeting with the final consumer. For example, pushing to reserve special spaces for farmers and direct breeders within the areas dedicated to the market.
Short supply chain: from the garden to the table. (Pexels Photo)
The law also provides for lintroduction of two brandsone for the zero kilometer and one for the short supply chain, which will allow consumers to easily identify “virtuous” products and producers. The logos will not be displayed on the products, but in places of direct sales, in markets, in restaurants and, more generally, wherever the consumer can find products at zero km or from a short supply chain.
Restaurants with supply chain and km 0
The catering sector has also taken action in this senseacquiring in some cases its own short supply chain (even with small farms near the restaurant, in addition to the now classic chef’s vegetable garden) and zero km products, which testify to the commitment to reduce its environmental impact and guarantee origin and quality of ingredients.
Among the most virtuous restaurants in this area, we find in the high and very high catering From the Fishermana 3-star Michelin restaurant owned by the Santini family in Canneto sull’Oglio (in the province of Mantua) who bought a nearby farmhouse and turned it into a real organic farm adjacent to the restaurant, with vegetable garden, chicken coop and cattle breeding. Or yet another starry, Meo Modo within the resort Borgo Santo Pietro in Chiusdino (in the province of Siena), where the organic vegetable garden is cultivated, and hens, wild pigs and sheep are raised.
Carlo Cracco also focused on an agricultural company
Even the well-known chef Carlo Cracco he is the owner of a farm in Santarcangelo di Romagna, the homeland of his wife Rosa, his name is Sea View, and it is the place where part of the ingredients of his dishes come from. Maybe not at zero kilometer but certainly the supply chain is very short.
«In July 2019, walking through the Romagna hills, we found a hill of over 14 hectares, of which five are vineyards and two are olive trees, all the rest is an orchard with a prevalence of peaches, persimmons and cherries. All this inevitably matched the roots of my wife Rosa »says Carlo Cracco. «Here, thanks to people who celebrate and guard the secrets of the earth, we have managed to recover not only a relationship with agronomists, farmers and with the truest raw materials». And now the Rosa tells us her new project: «The future is to transform the farmhouse into a educational workshop where to invite school children. It happened that Carlo was invited to the institute of our children, Pietro and Cesare, to cook and teach the fight against waste. He came home with the idea that it is important to start understanding him early. “
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