One out of two Italians would like to see more local products on supermarket shelves, according to a survey released this week by the consumer association Ancc-Coop Italia.
Reacting to the report, Italian farmers association Coldiretti urged the government to implement stricter laws on food product labelling.
According to Coldiretti, about half of the products on supermarket shelves in Italy do not clearly label where they were made.
"We need to follow up the European laws adopted between 2002 and 2004 which force producers to identify the place of origin of meat, fruit, eggs and honey with new directives," the farmers' association said.
Thanks to pressure from Coldiretti, in Italy it is now obligatory to label the place of origin for milk, chicken meat and tomato preserves.
But for many other items sold in supermarkets, including olive oil, cereals, pig meat, lamb, rabbit, fruit and vegetable-derived products, it is still not obligatory to say whether they originate from Italy or elsewhere.
