Italian rice, the truth in the ‘Classico’

Legislative Decree August 4, 2017, no. 131 — ‘Provisions concerning the internal rice market‘, repealing law 325/1958 — exclusively regulates the classification, the denominations of sale and thelabeling of the rice intended for the final consumer in Italy. This national regulation, unique in Europe, aims to protect the consumer and safeguard typical varieties. However, the exact meaning and legal scope of the wording «classico» — true core of varietal purity — continue to elude many operators and consumers.

Scope

The decree pursues three objectives declared in Article 1:

• the ‘protection of typical Italian rice varieties‘;
• the ‘enhancement of rice production, as a cultural, landscape, environmental and socioeconomic expression of the territory where it is practiced‘;
• the ‘consumer protection, also regarding transparency of information and rice sale denominations‘.

The Scope is limited ‘to the product obtained from raw rice intended for final consumer and sold or placed on sale or otherwise placed on the market in national territory for human consumption‘. Therefore excluded are excluded:

• rice intended for marketing B2B (as it is not intended for the final consumer);
• ‘product protected by a quality system recognized in the European Union‘ (i.e. rice PDO and PGI, subject to the respective regulations under EU reg. 2024/1143) and ‘the product intended to be marketed in other countries‘.

Definitions

Article 2 contains three definitions key:

– rough rice: ‘the seed of the rice plant (Oryza sativa, L.) still covered by the husks called «husk»‘;

– brown rice (or whole): ‘the product obtained from the hulling of rough rice with complete removal of the husk; the hulling process can cause chipping of the pericarp‘;

– rice: ‘the product obtained from the processing of rough rice with complete removal of the husk and subsequent partial or complete removal of the pericarp and germ‘.

The denomination ‘rice’, pursuant to article 4.1, it is reserved only for semi-processed/whole and processed rice, excluding husked rice (paddy rice).

Commercial classification and labeling

Rice is classified into four product groups (article 3.1), on a biometric basis (annex 1):

– ‘round grain rice or round rice or rice Origin‘, whose grains have ‘a length equal to or less than 5.2 millimeters, with a length/width ratio less than 2′;

– ‘medium grain rice or medium rice‘, with ‘length greater than 5.2 millimeters and equal to or less than 6.0 millimeters, with a length/width ratio less than 3‘;

– ‘long grain A rice or long rice A‘, with ‘length greater than 6.0 millimeters, with a length/width ratio greater than 2 and less than 3‘;

– ‘long grain B rice or long rice B‘, with ‘length greater than 6.0 millimeters, with a length/width ratio equal to or greater than 3‘.

The food name consists of:

• The name of one of the four groups (outside the cases referring to one of the traditional Italian varieties);
• ‘the indication «semi-processed» or «whole» or «semi-husked»‘ if the processing is different from that of processed rice;
• ‘the particular treatment undergone‘ (e.g. parboiled);
• ‘the color of the pericarp, if different from the normal whitish color and if caused by the hereditary characteristics of paddy rice varieties‘ (e.g. black rice, red rice. Legislative Decree 131/2017, article 3).

The name may also be ‘accompanied by the name of all paddy rice varieties, listed and described in the register‘ kept by the National Rice Body, ‘which are not the traditional varieties‘ (for which the special regime described below applies).

Note well that ‘i variety names of paddy rice cannot be used on the packaging if they are not also included in the food name‘ No evocative variety references in graphics, therefore, if the variety does not appear in the legal name.

The blends follow a dedicated regime:

• the denomination ‘mixture of colored rices‘ is prescribed for the product obtained from two or more varieties with different pericarp colors;
• ‘it is forbidden to mix white rice and parboiled rice if colored rices are not also present in the mixture‘;
• on the package of the mixtures ‘any reference to groups is prohibited‘ commodity groups, while ‘it is allowed to indicate the names of all the varieties that constitute the mixture‘.

Quality requirements

‘It is forbidden to sell, offer for sale or otherwise place on the market, for human consumption and under the name «rice», a product not meeting the quality characteristics referred to in annex 4‘ (article 4.2).

Annex 4 sets the maximum values of defects for rice and parboiled rice:

• broken grains 5%;
• streaked and/or pigmented grains 3% (beyond this threshold ‘the denomination of the food must include the indication «husked»‘);
• chalky grains 4.5%;
• damaged grains 2.5%;
• heat-damaged grains 0.05% (0.5% for Basmati and Jasmine);
• immature, malformed and other variety grains 10% (of which other variety grains 5%, edible foreign matter 0.10%, non-edible non-toxic foreign matter 0.01%, coefficient of variation of grain length 5.0).

I methods of analysis commodity are those regulated by UNI EN ISO 11746:2012, 11747:2012 and 7301:2013 (annex 5).

The traditional Italian varieties

Article 5 establishes reserved legal denominations for the traditional Italian varieties listed in annex 2:

• Arborio Rice;
• Riso Roma or Riso Baldo;
• Carnaroli Rice;
• Riso Ribe;
• Vialone Nano Rice;
• Riso S. Andrea.

These denominations are reserved for the product obtained from the processing:

• ‘of the homonymous variety of rough rice described in the register‘ of the National Rice Authority, or
• ‘of a variety of rough rice that meets the characteristics indicated in annex 2‘, likewise registered in the register.

It is the so-called system ‘grid‘A similar variety (e.g. Karnak, Keope) can legitimately be sold as ‘Riso Carnaroli’ if its grains fall within the biometric parameters of the grid.

The rices in question must be marketed referring exclusively to denominations traditional of the varieties, without possibility of resorting to group denominations (round, medium, long A/B). Traditional varieties cannot accompany the generic group denominations, nor be subject to blending.

Table. Characteristics of the varieties that can bear the traditional denominations (Legislative Decree 131/2017, annex 2) — characteristics determined on processed rice grains

Grain characteristics	Arborio Rice	Roma or Baldo Rice	Carnaroli Rice	Ribe Rice	Vialone Nano Rice	S. Andrea Rice
Length (mm)	6.6 ÷ 7.2	6.4 ÷ 7.2	6.5 ÷ 7.0	5.8 ÷ 6.8	5.4 ÷ 5.8	6.2 ÷ 6.7
Width (mm)	3.2 ÷ 3.4	2.9 ÷ 3.1	2.9 ÷ 3.1	2.4 ÷ 2.8	3.2 ÷ 3.5	2.9 ÷ 3.1
Length/width ratio	2.0 ÷ 2.2	2.2 ÷ 2.4	2.2 ÷ 2.3	2.0 ÷ 2.7	1.6 ÷ 1.8	2.1 ÷ 2.3
Consistency (kg/cm²)	0.65 ÷ 0.80	0.60 ÷ 0.80	0,85	–	0,85	0.60 ÷ 0.75
Pearl	very extensive	from little to very extensive	very extensive	–	very extensive	slightly extensive

Annex 3 specifies that the average of the measured values is compared with the table and that ‘when the average length or width deviates by ± 0.1 mm from the respective reference characteristics, inclusion of the variety in the corresponding denomination is still allowed‘.

‘Classico’, the only guarantee of varietal traceability

Here is the most misunderstood point of the regulation: ‘The indication «Classic» is allowed, only in association with the food denomination, for the product referred to in paragraph 2, letter a), for which it is guaranteed The varietal traceability‘ (article 5.5).

In practice, the denomination ‘Arborio’ on the label does not guarantee by itself the presence of the botanical variety Arborio, as it may be a similar variety admitted to the grid of annex 2. Soon also an NGT variety (New Genomic Techniques), due to their de-regulation at the European level.

The sole designation ‘Riso Arborio Classic‘ ensures that the package contains exclusively the homonymous pure variety, cultivated and traced throughout the entire supply chain. The term ‘classic’ is therefore the only tool available to the consumer – aside from DOP and IGP certified rice – to distinguish the authentic historical variety from its ‘commercial look-alike’.

The operating conditions were defined by the interministerial decree August 7, 2018, no. 4407, ‘Conditions for the use of the indication «classic» and criteria for checking varietal traceability‘, later integrated. The traceability requires:

• the use of certified seed (not for on-farm reuse);
• the reporting of cultivated surfaces;
• the physical separation of the product in the company, rice mill and warehouse;
• the reporting of stocks at the end of the campaign and the registration of the producer in the register kept by the National Rice Agency, control body together with Masaf.

Varietal register, controls and sanctions

The varietal register at the National Rice Agency (article 6) — updated ‘by August 31 of each year‘ with effect ‘starting from the marketing campaign beginning September 1‘ and published on the website of the Agency — lists the agronomic varieties allowed to accompany group denominations and those allowed for traditional denominations.

The sanctioning system (article 9) provides pecuniary administrative sanctions:

• from 600 to 3,500 euros for the use of varietal names on packaging outside the food denomination;
• from 1,000 to 5,000 euros for the sale of rice not complying with the quality requirements of annex 4 and for violations of the traditional and ‘classic’ variety regime;
• from 2,000 to 8,000 euros for anyone who uses ‘in the designation and presentation of the product marks representing trademarks, including collective ones, that may mislead the consumer about the origin and commercial quality of the rice‘.

Competent authority The enforcement is by the ICQRF, applying Law 689/1981 and the warning institute pursuant to art. 1, Legislative Decree 91/2014.

European context

The national regulation fits into the European context as technical rule complementary and subordinate to EU law:

– the Regulation (EU) No. 1308/2013 (Single Common Market Organisation) defines at the European level, in Annex II, Part I, the notions of rough rice, semi-processed rice, semi-finished and processed rice, as well as biometric groups. The Italian decree adopts these categories and applies them to the consumer market;

– the Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 establishes general criteria for consumer information on food products. Legislative Decree 131/2017 expressly refers to it: article 3.5 allows fantasy names and indications of particular product characteristics ‘provided that such indications do not contradict the name of the food and do not mislead the consumer about the nature, identity, quality, or composition of the product, pursuant to articles 7 and 36 of Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011’. The denominations established by Legislative Decree 131/2017 are in turn qualified as legal food names under articles 2.2.n and 17 of Regulation (EU) No. 1169/11;

– the Directive (EU) 2015/1535 has imposed the prior notification of the draft technical rule to the European Commission (in compliance with the procedure Technical Regulation Information System, TRIS);

– the mutual recognition clause (Legislative Decree 131/2017, article 12) closes the system. National provisions do not apply ‘to food products legally manufactured or marketed in another EU Member State or in Turkey nor to products legally manufactured in an EFTA state, party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA)’, without prejudice to the authorities' power to adopt restrictive measures where the level of protection is not equivalent (currently within the framework of Regulation (EU) 2019/515, which replaced Regulation (EC) 764/2008 mentioned in the text).

Preliminary conclusions

Legislative Decree 131/2017 represents a unique case in the European landscape. Its actual suitability to protect Italian rice cultivation, however, depends on market awareness: without understanding that the sole ‘classic’ – outside of DOP and IGP certified rices – means pure variety, the ‘grid’ system risks leaving room for commercial look-alikes of any origin.

The theme of remuneration of traced quality therefore deserves particular attention, also from the perspective of PDO/PGI rice-growing areas (Riso di Baraggia Biellese e Vercellese PDO, Riso Nano Vialone Veronese PGI, Riso del Delta del Po PGI).

Dario Dongo

Notes

Legislative Decree 4 August 2017, no. 131. Provisions concerning the internal rice market, implementing article 31 of law 28 July 2016, no. 154. Official Gazette General Series no. 209 of 7.9.2017. https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:decreto.legislativo:2017-08-04;131

Regulation (EU) no. 1308/2013, Single CMO, Annex II, part I. Consolidated text: 18/03/2026. http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/1308/2026-03-18

Regulation (EU) no. 1169/2011, articles 7, 17 and 36. Consolidated text: 01/04/2025 http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/1169/2025-04-01

Directive (EU) 2015/1535 (TRIS notification procedure). http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2015/1535/oj

Interministerial decree 7.8.2018 no. 4407, conditions for the use of the ‘classic’ indication and criteria for verifying varietal traceability. Official Gazette General Series no. 189 of 16.8.2018. https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/12945

National Rice Authority, varietal register and ‘classic’ rice register. www.enterisi.it