The Italian fresh produce industry is hoping it can capitalise on the greater attention set to be placed on the country over the coming six months while Expo 2015, the international cultural fair, takes place in Milan.
Fruit and vegetables feature prominently in the brand identity of Expo 2015, which takes as its slogan ‘Nutrire il Pianeta, Energia per la Vita’ (Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life).
But there remains some doubt over the event's ability to make a real impression on the international audience and draw in enough visitors from abroad, with one commentator describing the organisers' claims that 11m entry tickets have already been sold as 'hard to believe'.
Several of the country’s leading fresh produce companies are organising promotional activities and events on a local scale during Expo 2015, designed to raise awareness among consumers of the nutritional and health values of eating fresh fruit and veg.
These will form part of a special project being organised by Ortofrutta d’Italia, with the backing of fresh produce marketing group CSO, in partnership with Italian news agency Ansa.
The activities will take place at points of sale and are also designed to communicate the quality of Italy’s production.
“The opportunity to work with Ansa during the months of the Expo seems doubly promising in terms of communicating the values and high quality of fresh fruit and vegetables,” commented Paolo Bruni, president of CSO.
“The Expo’s four key words – knowhow, beauty, innnovation and nursery – are in the DNA of CSO’s member companies who, for a long time, have invested in sustainable production.”
In the meantime, one of the country’s leading fresh produce marketing consultants has cast doubt on the Expo’s potential impact on the world stage as far as raising Italy’s international profile is concerned.
Rolando Drahorad, owner of NCX Drahorad (which represents Eurofruit in Italy), commented: “It’s not possible to make good contacts with the [Expo] press office and there aren’t any specific press releases. There have been no invitations to press conferences. In short, there is no overseas communication of Expo Milan.”
He added: “Yesterday I asked my daughter who lives in London is she was thinking of visiting Expo in Milan this summer. She didn’t no anything about it. But the same thing happens if we pose the same question to foreign clients, like fresh produce importers. They don’t know anything.”
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