How much time do you spend on reading the labels when you do the expense? It can seem like a boring and difficult thing, in fact in a few seconds we can recover valuable information that can guide our choices such as, for example, if an egg comes from a hen raised in a cage or on the ground (we have explained here how to interpret the code shown on the egg shell), if a fish has been caught or raised, if the milk we drink is Italian (although, remember, the indication of origin is not necessarily synonymous with quality).

Place of origin and production

The name and address of the manufacturer are not equivalent to Country of origin or place of provenance of the product. In general, the law establishes that the goods entirely obtained in that country originate from a country, but if more countries have contributed to the production, the original country is the one in which it took place. the last stage of processing or transformation. This also applies to i Igp products who can boast the brand even if only part of the production process takes place in the traditional geographical area (this is what happens with the bresaola from Valtellina, for example).

Pasta, rice, oil, tomato derivatives

As for some foods that are the protagonists of Italian shopping like pasta, rice, oil, tomato products, milk, it is useful to know that currently, thanks to some experimental regulations adopted by Italy, it is mandatory to indicate the origin of the raw material. For pasta, for example, it is mandatory to indicate the country of cultivation of the wheat and the country in which it is ground, for rice the country of cultivation, that of processing and that of packaging. For theoil the country of olive harvest and the milling country must be indicated. So for these foods we can know for sure if the raw material is of Italian origin or from other EU or non-EU countries.

But things will change from April 1, 2020 when the European Community label will come into force, which provides for the obligation to indicate the origin of the primary ingredient (the one that constitutes 50% of the finished product) of a food only if different from the origin of the food itself.

The meat label

As for themeat label, there are differences based on the type. The label of the beef must compulsorily report the Country of origin, that of breeding and that of slaughtering the animal.

The meat label swine, sheep, goats and poultry must indicate the country of breeding and that of slaughter.

When only the word appears on the label "Origin" followed by the name of a country means that the animal was born, raised and slaughtered in a single area.

As regards the horse meat, rabbit and hare there are no labeling obligations.

Furthermore, the labeling rules apply only to the fresh packaged meat (also minced) frozen or deep-frozen, while for meat preparations (such as cordon bleu) or processed meats there are no obligations.

Meat labels as currently required by law do not give no information on how the animal was raised (what he ate, where he lived) unless the producer himself indicates it on the package, for example: "Chicken raised without the use of antibiotics".

The fish label

The label of fish fresh must indicate by law if the animal has been caught or bred. For the catch it is mandatory to indicate the area of ​​origin and mode of capture (e.g. trawl nets, hooks, dredgers, traps).

For what concern frozen fish, the freezing date must be indicated, while the defrosted fish must bear the words "thawed" and the warning not to refreeze the product, keep it in the refrigerator and consume it within 24 hours.

Dairy products

For the fresh milk the regulation requires that the manufacturer indicate the milking area, if it is possible to trace the farms, or that of origin of the milk. On the milk label we can find the name of a municipality, a province, a region of Italy or the name of the EU country. If the milk comes from several countries of the European Union it will be written on the label "EU countries", while if it comes from EU countries and non-EU countries or only from non-EU countries it will be written "Third countries".

Also for the uht milk and dairy products such as yogurt, cheeses, mozzarella, butter it is mandatory to indicate the origin of the milk. The label then shows the country of milking or of origin of the milk and then the Country of conditioning for uht milk and the Processing country for dairy products. If we find the word "Origin of milk" followed by the name of a country, it means that the milk was milked, conditioned or processed in that country only.