Ismea Qualivita Report: Parmigiano Reggiano is Italy’s leading PDO in Production Value, and the most followed on social media

The King of Cheese boasts production worth 1.34 billion Euro, and over 585 thousand followers on the social networks. The study confirms Italy is the world leader in Geographical Indication products, with 822 PDO, PGI and TSG specialities

Parma, 17 December 2018 – The presentation of the fifteenth Ismea Qualivita Report, the annual research analysis which looks at the Geographical Indications sector, was held in the last few days. This year once again saw Italy carrying off first place as the world’s largest Geographical Indication producer:  out of a worldwide total of 3,036, Italy numbers 822 PDO, PGI and TSG specialities registered at European level.

Emilia Romagna is, in turn, the Italian region sitting at first place, with 44 Geographical Indication products notching up an overall production value of 2.9 billion Euro. Of these, no less than 19 are protected by European Union PDO – Protected Designation of Origin – status: products whose qualities or characteristics are essentially or exclusively due to a particular geographical environment, including natural and human factors.

The Ismea-Qualitiva Report crowns Parmigiano Reggiano as Italy’s PDO product with the highest production value: 1.34 billion Euro in 2017, up 19.5% on 2016. Second place in the “pdoeconomy” finds PDO Grana Padano with a production value of 1.29 billion Euro (+0.0% on 2016), whilst third place on the podium goes to PDO Prosciutto di Parma at 850 million Euro (+4.1% on 2016).

“Parmigiano Reggiano is one of the world’s oldest and most famous cheeses, as well as being a product that symbolises Italian produce,” states Nicola Bertinelli, Chairman of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium. “For this reason, it is also the most imitated. Basically, it is made just as it always has been for the last nine centuries: the same ingredients are used (milk, salt and rennet), along with the same careful crafting, and a production technique which has changed very little over the centuries. All of which is down to the decision to maintain a production technique which is completely natural and additive-free.”

The 2018 Ismea-Qualivita report also crowns Parmigiano Reggiano as the Italian PDO with most followers on social media: 526,664 fans on the Facebook page, 23,745 followers on Twitter and 35,270 on Instagram, for a total of over 585 thousand followers. Second place in the social media league table finds Grana Padano, with just under 500 thousand followers in all.