On 15 October 2018, the Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1529 of 8 October 2018 was published in the Official Journal of the European Union, containing the registration of a name in the register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications " Chocolate di Modica PGI ”.
The name Cioccolato di Modica PGI identifies a product in class 2.2. Chocolate and derivative products of Annex XI of Implementing Regulation (EU) no. 668/2014 of the Commission.
The Regulation, signed by the European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil HOGAN, came into force on 4 November 2018, fulfilling the dream of the artisanal producers of Modica PGI chocolate and laying the foundations for the launch of a vigorous protection action.
Having chosen CSQA as the control body, and having started the procedures for the certification of companies, it was deemed appropriate to equip itself with a product traceability system, developed by the Poligrafico dello Stato, in collaboration with the Qualivita Foundation and CSQA, to protect and enhance the Modica PGI Chocolate , which thus became the first Italian product with a Protected Geographical Indication that uses the Digital Passport.
This solution involves placing a physical marker on each individual bar, a mark made with sophisticated security elements, which shows a code uniquely associated with each product unit. The registration of the unique codes in special databases managed by Poligrafico and the integration with the data certified through blockchain technology by CSQA , with the involvement of the entire supply chain, provides a secure, complete, organized and easily consultable information system for producers , consumers and all users involved.
The initiative is among the most significant among those activated to promote traceability and the fight against counterfeiting , and in particular it is configured as a practice of excellence in the relationship between the public and private system: an effective synergy that represents one of the fundamental pillars for the protection of the cultural and productive heritage of the Italian agri-food sector.
The Digital Passport thus takes on the characteristics of a valuable anti-counterfeiting solution in the case of e-commerce, a channel through which an important part of fraud occurs.
The Modica Chocolate Protection Consortium intends to express its recognition to the public and private institutions that have supported the Consortium since 2010 to achieve the coveted goal: Municipality of Modica, Sicilian Region, Ministry of Agricultural Policies, European Commission, Printing Institute and State Mint, Qualivita Foundation and Cna.
The celebrations of the fifth anniversary of the recognition are scheduled for next December, from the 7th to the 10th, as part of CHOCOMODICA 2023 .
The results achieved in recent years by the Consortium will be illustrated , both in relation to production and promotion, as well as the anti-counterfeiting initiatives and to combat the evocation of Modica PGI chocolate, also in light of the actions carried out by the Department of the Central Quality and Fraud Repression (ICQRF), by the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Agri-food and the Financial Services Agency, institutions to which the Consortium expresses public appreciation.
All the personalities who have in some way made their commitment to achieving the PGI certification will be invited to participate in the December event, first of all the Honorable Paolo De Castro who was responsible for the initiative for the modification of the European Regulation (EU), which then took on the numbering n. 1151/2012, which by introducing chocolate among the products eligible for protection, paved the way for recognition.
Source: Modica Chocolate Protection Consortium