Cream in the carbonara? With bacon? And with an Italian flag on the label? Scandal! The protection of it is always a challenge, given the expansion of its cuisine and the variants that so much travel sometimes imposes, but this time it has crossed a red line: it has become the subject of a political fight between the Government of Italy, in the hands of the far-right, and the European Parliament. It is the CarbonaraGateas the Belgian press calls it.
It all starts when the Italian Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida (yes, he is a distant relative of the actress, Gina), launched a first barrage of criticism on his social networks, six days ago. “Leaving aside the pancetta in the carbonara… all these products represent the worst of Italian flavored products. It is unacceptable to see them on the supermarket shelves of the European Parliament. I have requested an immediate investigation,” he wrote. It turns out that he went to a supermarket of the Delhaize chain (the closest thing to Mercadona that exists in Belgium), open on the premises of the European Parliament in Brussels, and found some jars of sauce that do not comply, he understands, with his standards of italianity.
The minister criticized the sauce for containing pancetta, a pork product similar to bacon, which is apparently a serious culinary disrespect in food-loving Italy, since traditional pasta carbonara is prepared with guanciale, a typical Italian meat made from pork cheeks.
Lollobrigida also made a second discovery: a jar of tomato sauce from the same white brand, which supposedly contained “Calabrian onions.” Likewise, with the Italian flag clearly visible. Another fraud, in your opinion.
The controversy was further fueled when deputies from the far-right Brothers of Italy party joined the case. MEP Carlo Fidanza attacked products “that use the country’s flag and evocative names without having anything Italian, a deceptive practice.” Fidanza said that he sent a letter of complaint to the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, who has had to reply that the supermarket does not belong to the European Parliament, but rather to a company with a concessionaire, so it does not cover what it sells or stops selling.
“The incorrect use of symbols or references to Italianness on products that do not originate in Italy could constitute a misleading practice and, therefore, be punishable,” even the Italian delegation in Brussels stated.
The controversy surprised the Belgian-Dutch supermarket chain Delhaize. “We are surprised by the reaction and media attention regarding certain Delhaize brand pasta sauces,” a communications official told AFP. “Both the name and the packaging comply with current legislation,” he defended. Delhaize claimed that Italian authorities had carried out an “official inspection” at the facilities of its Italian supplier and that “no violations” had been found. That is, they are clean of sin.
“We see no reason to adapt these products and their packaging in one way or another. Existing products remain available on our shelves,” the group said. According to the brand’s website, the sauce contains cream, milk, smoked bacon and Italian cheeses Pecorino and Grana Padano. The traditional recipe is prepared without cream or bacon, but with cured pork cheek, pecorino, eggs and pepper.
Spaghetti with carbonara sauce.
The lament of the sector
Coldiretti, Italy’s largest agricultural trade association, has already stated that the “scandal of counterfeit Italian products” costs the country 120 billion euros a year. In a statement following the minister’s publication, they stated that carbonara is one of the most falsified Italian recipes abroad. “From the use of cream in Belgium or bacon instead of guanciale, often in Anglo-Saxon countries, to the use of Romano cheese instead of pecorino in the United States.”
They also noted the presence of Bolognese sauce on Delhaize shelves as a “tourist specialty with no real tradition in Italy.” This is because the regional cuisine of Emilia-Romagna prefers fresh egg pasta, known as sfoglia, rather than pasta made with durum wheat semolina, which is generally dry.
The lobby group also produced a ranking of the most counterfeited products, where cheeses take first place, starting with Parmesan and Grana Padano, but also mozzarella, provolone, gorgonzola and pecorino. Sausages such as salami and mortadella, as well as pasta sauces, wines and extra virgin olive oil, are also on the list.
However, Europe can rest easy, largely thanks to EU regulations, the newspaper explains. : are the biggest offenders when it comes to selling fake Italian-style food, according to Coldiretti. In Belgium, mozzarella-type cheese leads cheese production, with 2022 data showing an increase of 7.9%, reaching 87,234 tons compared to the previous year. That same year, it also surpassed Dutch cheese Gouda.
This is possible, since within the EU there is no protection for the word mozzarella. Unlike its specific varieties, such as buffalo mozzarella, marketed as Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, which has been protected for years with the protected designation of origin (DOP).
The law
According to European regulations on food labeling, it is prohibited to mislead consumers about the country of origin of a product. During the previous legislature, the Commission began to refine these rules, but opposition, especially from Italy, to the Nutri-Score system suspended the debate. “It was therefore Italy itself that contributed to blocking more precise labeling rules,” recalls Benoit Cassart (Renew Europe – MR), MEP responsible for legislation on agriculture and quality regimes, .
In case of doubt about the legality of the labeling, reports are sent to the national regulatory authorities. In Belgium, the Federal Public Service for Economics (FPS Economía) is responsible for economic matters, while the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) is responsible for health matters. The European Commission, for its part, has established the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) to facilitate communication between the different European authorities. “We have not yet received the notification mentioned by Minister Lollobrigida,” explained a spokesperson for the FPS Economía.
As to whether the product in question complies with European legislation, he responded: “We cannot comment on a specific case. This requires further analysis as part of an investigation and compliance with its procedures.” “In general, the use of national symbols is not prohibited, but labeling must be evaluated to ensure that it is not misleading (main ingredients, etc.). Furthermore, as far as we know, there is no legal definition (let alone a protected designation) for carbonara sauce,” he concludes.
