News in sight on the front of the protection of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI. The Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and New Zealand, definitively approved last November 22 by the European Council, has in fact sanctioned an important squeeze on the improper use of some designations, and in particular of some of the most important - in terms of economic value - Italian Geographical Indications, of which Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI is one of the main exponents. 

"The news is of fundamental importance -explains the director of the Consortium for the protection of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Federico Desimoni- because outside Europe, as we know, the Geographical Indications system is not protected and recognized, except through this type of agreement. So having another important market like New Zealand that recognizes the system and gives us protection is a fundamental step in the culture of protection in the international arena".

While it is indeed true that about 92% of the total production is destined to reach about 130 countries around the world, it is equally true that such popularity has exposed this symbolic Made in Italy product to countless attempts at imitation or, even more, to the exploitation of Italian sounding to promote products that have nothing to do with the original.

Today the Consortium for the Protection of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena represents a sector whose certified production in 2021 reached its historical record by exceeding 100 million liters in one year, corresponding to more than Euro 1 billion in consumer value. These numbers place Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI in first place among the ambassadors of made in Italy agri-food products in terms of exported product, as well as in the top five of Italian PDO and PGI food specialties in terms of economic impact at the national level. 

Currently, the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena sector includes 2,400 farms, with an area planted with vines of more than 14,000 hectares, 92 producers of must and wine vinegar, and 61 vinegar factories, employing between 25,000 and 30,000 people throughout the production chain.