Food Policy in Italy

Food is an intimate part of people's daily lives and food consumption is increasingly related to community identity. The growing awareness of the environmental, social and health impact associated with the provenance and processes of food production seems to characterize current ‘consumerist era’. The historical evolution of food policy in Italy helps the readers to identify some central themes of this complex issue: local traditions in food production, regional cuisines in food habits, the cuisine of scarcity in consumer attitudes, the widespread concern for quality and safety after the 1990s, the rediscovery of the Mediterranean Diet, the input of European policy and a different coalition of interests in supporting the food policy are outlining changing trend in Italian food policy. Starting from a broad definition, the article traces the historical evolution of food policy in Italy identifying some central themes: the relationship with agricultural productionism, the protection of local traditions and cultures, the challenges of globalization to food safety,the increasing intervention of the European policy in the face of the food crises. A shift can be observed in the dominant paradigm of the Italian food policy over the last twenty years: from a policy mainly based on the producers' economic interests towards a greater consumer and citizen involvement in food quality policies, and responsibility towards environment and public health.