The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests (MASAF) has renewed the agreement started in 2016 with the Alibaba Group for the protection of agri-food products in the Asian market Made in ItalyThat is to say, the 43 recognized designations of origin and Italian geographical indications present on marketplace(1)
Protection of Made in Italy on Alibaba, the ICQRF shield
The task force operational of the Anti-fraud Inspectorate (ICQRF) that monitors and identifies counterfeit products on sites e-commerce has been strengthened with a specific measure in the Budget Law.
In the last seven yearsover 98% of irregular products have been reported by ICQRF and removed from marketplace Alibaba, including the B2B platform Alibaba.com, which serves over 40 million buyer professionals worldwide.
Italian sounding KO in 24 hours
Suspect products are reported by ICQRF directly to Alibaba, through the dedicated portal (https://ipp.alibabagroup.com/). 98% of reports are processed within 24 hours, with sellers notified of the violation of protected geographical indications.
Alibabaon its part, protects it Made in Italy through an artificial intelligence system that constantly scans the appropriateness of products for sale.
These measures have helped remove 96% of illicit listings, even before a single sale was made.
Geographical indications, flagship
‘That of geographical indications is a fundamental sector for our economy, for which Italy is renowned worldwide. The renewed protocol today demonstrates the importance of teamwork and the effectiveness of public-private collaboration. In this regard, I wish to thank Alibaba which serious and reliable group for the cooperation provided to protect our quality production, to defend consumers and our agri-food sector', declared Felice Assenza, Chief General Inspector of ICQRF.
Marta Strinati
Notes
(1) Strengthened control of Made in Italy on the Asian market. Masaf renews the agreement with Alibaba Group to protect Italian geographical indications. MASAF press release. 23.2.23 https://www.politicheagricole.it/masaf_alibaba
Professional journalist since January 1995, has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and magazines (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). Author of food journalism investigations, she published the volume 'Reading labels to know what we eat'.
