The made in Italia agri-food goes to conquer Japan and Asia. This is the objective of the participation of Legacoop Agroalimentare, with the support of Ice-Agenzia for the promotion abroad and internationalization of Italian companies, at Foodex Japan which takes place in Tokyo from 11 to 14 March. This is the most historic and important international fair of Food&Beverage in Asia, coming this year to its 50th edition. 

In Tokyo, Legacoop Agroalimentare is present with Legacoop, Legacoop Emilia-Romagna and some of the most representative Italian agri-food cooperatives, including Consorzio Il Biologico, Granterre and Black Elk who will be the protagonists of a cooking show at the Italian Pavilion in the spaces of the Open Kitchen with the Japanese chef Noriyuki Koike, who will create recipes based on products from the Italian cooperatives, promoting the excellence of Italian gastronomic heritage. The participation, says the cooperative, "represents a strategic opportunity to consolidate trade relations with Japan and open up new prospects for development in Asian countries. The objective of the participation of Legacoop agroalimentare, in fact, is precisely to strengthen the presence of Italian cooperatives on the Japanese market and promote the value of Italian cooperative agrifood, "made of quality, sustainability and innovation", in the Asian markets.

"Our presence in Tokyo, thanks to the support of Ice, is to be at the side of our associates and consolidate the Japanese market, a reality where made in Italy is synonymous with quality and authenticity, and to expand relations with the Asian markets -explains Cristian Maretti, president of Legacoop Agroalimentare-. Our cooperatives represent a production model based on quality, sustainability and innovation, values that increasingly meet the interest of Asian consumers".

Within Foodex Tokyo, on 12 March, Legacoop Agroalimentare organizes the workshop "Mediterranean Diet, Longevity and Cooperative Agro-food: a bridge between communities and sustainable lifestyles", realized with the support and co-funding of Ice. The meeting anticipates the initiatives that the Italian cooperative movement will promote at Expo Osaka in September. The workshop will take place at Tokyo Big Sight and will be attended by Italian and Japanese experts, including president Maretti; Sara Guidelli, General Manager of Legacoop Agroalimentare; Nicoletta Maffini, President of AssoBio; Alessia Ferrucci Morandi director of the Consorzio Il Biologico, Gianpaolo Bruno, director of the Ice Office, Jiro Ito, executive director of Jca - Japan Cooperative Alliance, Roberta Trovarelli responsible for relations and international projects Legacoop Emilia-Romagna, who will open and coordinate the event. The seminar (13-13.40 local time) will explore the role of the Mediterranean Diet and the Italian cooperative agri-food for health and sustainability. Following, the show-cooking.

The event will also present the results of the scientific study Imod (Italian Mediterranean Organic Diet), conducted by the University of Tor Vergata and funded by the Ministry of Health, which demonstrates how the Organic Mediterranean Diet leads to significant improvements in the variety and health of the intestinal microbiota compared to a conventional diet. This reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer thanks to an overall immunomodulatory and detoxifying effect. The results of this research, unpublished in Europe, were disseminated by a national communication campaign "Il Bio dentro di Noi" supported by FederBio, AssoBio and Consorzio il Biologico.

A recent study by Ismea and Rete Rurale shows that 46.7% of Italian food cooperatives export their products: the main reference market remains the European Union (with Germany and France in the lead), but Japan (17.4%) The fourth largest market outside the EU for Italian cooperatives, after Switzerland (30.4%), the United Kingdom (21.7%) and the United States (21.7%). Among the products most in demand abroad are fruit and vegetables (38.8% of cooperatives), wine (29.2% of total exports of processed products), fruit and vegetable derivatives and vegetable oils (20.8% and 18.8%, respectively). These data confirm the growing interest of the Asian market for Italian products, recognized for quality, authenticity and sustainability.

After Foodex Tokyo, Legacoop will star at Expo Osaka. The official mission will start on 20 September, with an opening event at the Italian Pavilion, organized together with the Japanese cooperation on the occasion of the International Year of Cooperatives proclaimed by the UN for the second time in history. The initiative, carried out in collaboration with national and regional institutions and the Japanese cooperative movement, will focus on the role of agri-food and non-food cooperation as a model for sustainable development that can combine tradition and innovation.

The Expo Osaka programme will continue throughout the third week of September, with events between Osaka and Tokyo, where Legacoop is the protagonist, to promote the value of the Italian cooperative system and strengthen synergies with the Asian market.