Slow Food Presidium Øko-Innpakning

				During the Salone del Gusto in Turin, prizes for the Best Presidium Eco-Packagingwere awarded to this year’s three winners. The competition is organized by Slow Food Italy and the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity in collaboration with the Industrial Design course at the Turin Polytechnic, the Department of Arboreal Crops of the University of Turin’s Agriculture Faculty and the University of Gastronomic Sciences. Everyone has an interest in genuine food, unpolluted by chemicals and produced in a healthy environment. However, the flavor and sensory perception of a food are not the only factors that must be taken into consideration when evaluating its quality. All the phases of production, promotion, sale, consumption and finally disposal of a product—its whole life cycle—need to be assessed and given equal importance. In recent years Slow Food Presidia have been working to improve the packaging of their products, so that the sustainable production, cultivation and farming techniques characteristic of the Presidia projects are joined by a strong commitment towards sustainable packaging and communication. The Presidia were given particular support and assistance this year by Novamont and Tenax, who during 2010 provided Italian Presidia producers with free MaterBi® nets for holding products and a supply of shopping bags with the Slow Food Presidia logo. This year, Slow Food has awarded prizes to three Presidia in three different categories: In the “Traditional Techniques and Materials” category, the new Torre Canne Regina Tomato Presidium in Puglia. Why: “For recuperating and saving a packaging and preservation tradition that risked being lost, encouraging indigenous crops at risk of extinction (cotton, and in the future hemp) alongside the cultivation of the Presidium product; thanks to truly artisanal ‘know-how’ and the cohesion between Presidium members and growers in the surrounding area, they have created a functional and esthetically pleasing packaging, its essential elements made from natural, degradable, entirely recyclable and/or compostable materials, avoiding harmful linking elements that would hinder the separation of the materials and end-of-life disposal (respecting the principles of reduction of materials and easy disassembly).” The prize is a free supply of MaterBi® shopping bags from Novamont. In the category “Innovative Techniques and Materials,” the Neapolitan Papaccella Presidium in Campania. Why: “For having researched and applied an eco-friendly packaging for produce very early (already in use during the Salone del Gusto 2008), despite the many difficulties in obtaining such packaging in Italy, as well as for having managed to reach a high degree of eco-compatibility by virtue of a ‘personal desire’ and not a last-minute ‘collective necessity,’ realized also thanks to the packaging’s simple closing method without further addition of devices and materials (following the principles of single-material packaging and the reduction of components).” The prize is a free supply of MaterBi® nets from Novamont and Tenax for the next production season. In the category “Product Quality Communication,” the new Ceglie Biscuit Presidium in Puglia. Why: “For comprehensively and clearly indicating on the label every useful element that could help the consumer fully understand the product (Slow Food Presidium, expiry date, information on the producer and place of origin and provenance, storage method, quantity and preservation means, ingredients) in respect of current regulations, as well as indicating, in addition to an ecological branding, the presence of any allergens that could affect the health of ‘at-risk’ consumers (like celiacs) and the abundant use of ingredients produced and/or purchased in the local production area (‘zero food miles’ principle).” The prize is a commitment from Novamont to begin researching a new MaterBi® bag for the biscuits.