’Classic’, IGP, organic, wholemeal, lard-free and gluten-free piadinas. The supermarket offer is really wide. We examined 45 to evaluate recipe and nutritional profile.
As usual, the sampling includes branded products, distributor’s and discount products. (1)
IGP Piadinas, two versions
The Romagnola Piadina (or Romagnola Piada) IGP appears in two forms:
– the compact, rigid and crumbly, with diameter between 15 and 25 cm and thickness of 4-8 cm
– the ‘Riminese’ version, soft and flexible, larger diameter (from 23 to 30 cm) and thickness up to 3 mm.
The IGP piadinas must be prepared according to the rules established by the Consortium for the Protection of the Romagnola IGP Piadina. Which, in fact, does not prescribe very strict requirements.
Essential characteristic for the use of the IGP mark is indeed the placement of the producer in a geographical area that includes 84 municipalities in the provinces of Rimini, Forlì-Cesena, Ravenna and Bologna.
Romagnola IGP Piadina, a simple recipe
The recipe of the Romagnola IGP Piadina includes:
– mandatory ingredients, rather broad. Namely
- soft wheat or spelt flour (without specification of the type, i.e. the degree of milling or sifting, more or less fine);
- water;
- salt, up to a maximum (undoubtedly high, editor’s note) of 2.5g per 100g
- fats up to a maximum of 25%, chosen from lard and/or olive oil and/or extra virgin olive oil.
No constraint is related to the origin of the raw materials;
– optional ingredients (with a suspicious additive)
- leavening agents. In addition to sodium acid carbonate (i.e., bicarbonate) and corn or wheat starch, the use of disodium diphosphate (E450) is allowed. This additive is very common in baked goods but not recommended, as its consumption is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk, especially in people with kidney failure. And unfortunately, it is present in all 15 IGP piadine examined;
- sunflower seed oil, only if used together with and in a lesser amount than extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- cow's milk and flower honey. Unusual ingredients, in fact never found in the ingredient list of the 45 products examined. (see the regulations attached at the bottom of the page).
IGP Piadinas, 4 anomalies in 15 products
Some anomalies emerge on the label of 4 of the 15 IGP piadine examined:
– two piadine under the Certossa brand report the treatment of the product with ethyl alcohol. An ingredient and not an additive, as we have seen, which however does not appear in the regulations; (2)
– the labels of the IGP piadine from the Conad and Todis brands do not indicate the type of soft wheat flour used. This information is not required by the regulations but is a concern for many consumers.
Saturated fats, flours and salt
The fat rarely reaches half of the enormous quantity allowed in the regulations (25%). In four out of 15 piadine it is extra virgin olive oil, in amounts ranging from 6 to 8.6%. The other piadine contain lard.
The difference (as well as in the flavor) is reflected in the average percentage of saturated fats: 4.7% in the recipe with lard and 1.4% in that with EVOO.
The flour of soft wheat is Type 0 in only three cases, less ‘refined’ compared to Type 00. No impact on fiber content emerges.
The salt – of which WHO (World Health Organization) recommends not to exceed a maximum daily intake of 4-5 g – in three cases exceeds 2 g per 100 g. A high amount, considering the additional contributions provided by the foods used to fill the piadina and any other foods accompanying meals during the day. Consuming too much salt, it is recalled, promotes numerous diseases including type 2 diabetes, dementia, and Alzheimer’s. (3)
Only one IGP piadina ‘100% Made in Italy’
In the general silence about the origin Among the raw materials stands out the Riccione IGP Piadina, the only one declaring on the label the ingredients '100% Made in Italy'. And thus:
– lard from pigs raised in Italy
– salt and leavening agents of Italian origin (including diphosphate, unfortunately)
– soft wheat flour grown in Romagna.
Non-IGP piadinas, an interesting variety
The 15 non-IGP piadinas show a variety of interesting offers in various aspects.
Esselunga offers two products (one with lard, the other with EVOO) that could fall under the IGP if produced in the geographical area indicated by the specification. The recipe in these cases is actually better than that of the examined IGPs. Lard or extra virgin olive oil as fat and type 0 soft wheat flour, without additives or yeast, nor the questionable leavening agent E450.
The rest of the sample instead shows various deviations from the classic recipe of the IGP Romagna Piadina:
– the classic Carrefour contains rice starch, but no additive or leavening agent
– the low-cost 'classic' with lard branded Spesotti Coop contains brewer's yeast
– the CRM 'traditional layered' in turn contains an unspecified 'yeast'
– four products (two from Coop and two Barilla – Mulino Bianco) refer to surface treatment with ethyl alcohol
– six products, finally, use only sunflower seed oil as fat.
The six worst piadinas
Six products are instead classified as ultra-processed foods. Behind the appearance and the commercial name 'piadina', there is actually the use of synthetic flavors and questionable additives such as mono- and diglyceride emulsifiers of fatty acids, guar gum, and the already mentioned diphosphates.
The worst 'piadinas' are three low-cost products (Esselunga Smart, Eurospin, Todis), two products under the Loriana brand and one under the Morato brand.
Wholemeal piadinas
Among the five whole wheat flatbreads sampled only the ‘sfogliata’ Conad is a semi-whole grain (31%).
The flour is always soft wheat, of Italian origin only in the Esselunga flatbread.
No additives appears in the recipes. In two cases (Conad and Coop) there is no yeast, in another two (Carrefour and Mulino Bianco) ethyl alcohol is used.
The amount of fiber in the four whole wheat flatbreads averages 6.22%, triple that of IGP flatbreads, which on average contain 2.2%. A factor to consider when organizing meals, given that a diet rich in fiber and whole grains reduces the risk of premature mortality by up to a third. (4)
The pearls of organic
Of the five organic flatbreads sampled, four are semi-whole, with whole flour for just under a third.
The organic flatbreads from Carrefour and Conad are made from khorasan wheat under the private Kamut brand (from certified organic North American crops), a hard wheat and therefore less elastic.
Whole soft wheat is instead present in the Lidl organic flatbread (34%) and in Esselunga’s, which uses only Italian soft wheat type 0 at a high concentration (62%).
The fat is always extra virgin olive oil, always at 7%, together with sunflower oil in the Lidl flatbread.
Organic agricultural products, as usual, stand out for the absence of problematic additives. Even the questionable diphosphates, even foreseen in the IGP recipe, are banned in all organic foods. (5) A reminder of the need to favor organic consumption to protect the environment from pesticide spreading and safeguard one’s health by eating ‘clean’ foods.
Gluten-free but with many additives
Making a dough elastic for baked goods by giving up gluten-containing cereals always involves a compromise.
In the case of the five flatbreads designed for gluten-intolerant people examined here, soft wheat flour is replaced by a mix of gluten-free flours, thickening and emulsifying additives.
The least natural recipes are those of gluten-free flatbreads to be stored outside the fridge from Conad and Coop. These contain as many as five problematic additives as well as synthetic flavors. Moreover, these products have a high salt content (>2%)
Fior di Loto, with its organic gluten-free flatbread, undoubtedly offers the best product. The only one, among the five gluten-free samples, not containing the leavening agent diphosphate (E450), and containing only two non-problematic additives (as they are included in the limited list of food additives allowed in organic products).
Additives in gluten free
The majority of additives used in gluten-free flatbreads are linked to intestinal disorders (bloating, flatulence, diarrhea or constipation, irritation of the intestinal mucosa).
These are, as summarized in the table, of
– E466, carboxymethyl cellulose
– E415, Xanthan gum
– E422, glycerol
– E464, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, for which there are also concerns about the levels of impurities from the HPC residue (propylene chlorohydrin), which has mutagenic effects
– E412, guar gum. (6)
Conad’s slip on palm oil
Without palm oil is a claim often found on flatbread labels as well. It is therefore surprising that Conad – limited to gluten-free flatbreads – publishes the following notice on its ecommerce site:
‘The product may contain palm oil, due to difficulties in sourcing sunflower seed oil caused by the emergency situation.
We invite you to check the product label at the time of delivery’.
A slip-up both for the possible return of an ingredient rejected by Italian consumers, and for violating the Food Information Regulation (EU) No 1169/11 (article 14).
Marta Strinati
ATTACHMENT. Regulations for Romagna Flatbread, 2021
Notes
(1) Sampling conducted between September 16 and 23, 2024 in physical stores in Rome and on food ecommerce platforms.
(2) Ethyl alcohol in baked goods, how to label it? Lawyer Dario Dongo answers. FARE (Food and Agriculture Requirements). 24.11.21
(3) Marta Strinati. This is how excess salt promotes dementia and Alzheimer. Food Times. 1.11.19
(4) Dario Dongo, Carlotta Suardi. Fiber and whole grains, long life in health. Food Times. 25.1.19
(5) Marta Strinati. Pesticides used in conventional and organic farming. Toxicity comparison. Food Times. 16.3.23
(6) Marta Strinati. Food additives, we ingest up to 10 kg per year. French study. Food Times. 15.11.21
Professional journalist since January 1995, she worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and magazines (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). Author of journalistic investigations on food, she published the book 'Reading labels to know what we eat'.
