From Milan, a concrete commitment: measurable data, narrative labels and accountability.
On 15 October in Milan, we took part in the press conference launching “Eataly – Alla Radice.” Now, a few days later, we can say it wasn’t a showcase but the start of a shared commitment: building a supply chain that tells its story with transparency, from field to plate, under clear and measurable rules. During the event, Eataly presented the technical specification validated by RINA (an international certification body), explaining its incremental approach and the four impact areas—climate, water, land, identity—with contributions from the University of Palermo and Slow Food Italy. Simona Gullace, Head of Food Product Management at RINA, detailed the validation of the specification and the field audits. Central, too, was the narrative label with QR Code, linking to a page on agronomic practices, cultural identity and improvement pathways.
Within this framework, the centrality of the narrative label—as Serena Milano of Slow Food Italy reminded us—is not a gimmick but a tool that lines up the questions that matter (where the wheat comes from, who grows it, who mills it, how and when it’s transformed) and demands clear answers. This is the direction we have always supported as farmers before millers: quality is not just a label; it’s a complete story. That’s why, for some time now, through the LocalTourism.it protocol, we have brought narrative traceability into our semolina sacks, turning the product into a true calling card of the territory.
A key technical element for us was the work of agronomist Michele Carlo Lo Storto, who identified the farms, gathered the data and contributed to the specification, in collaboration with Prof. Francesco Sottile (University of Palermo), who carried out LCA analyses across the entire supply chain and defined a cultivation model for the project’s lead companies. This is our idea of transparency: turning principles into data to improve.
For us, innovation doesn’t mean breaking with tradition but refining it: improving controls, standardising data, and making processes readable even to non-specialists. The outcome we seek isn’t one more badge, but better pasta, a fairer supply chain and a more recognisable territory. In practice, this means giving consumers more information for informed choices; offering our pasta-factory clients high-quality semolina together with clear data and a supply-chain story; and proving that when our agriculture works as a network, it embodies identity, economy and culture.
In recent days we’ve shared photos and coverage on our social channels, but the real work starts now: we will keep making the data linked to our lots even more readable, integrate the LocalTourism.it pathway at every touchpoint with pasta factories, and share best practices with anyone who wants to walk this road with us. We’re not looking for spotlights; we’re building solid alliances in the service of quality. Yesterday Milan gave us energy; today—17 October—we take responsibility for turning it into action. We’re ready. At the root of pasta there is always a choice of responsibility: ours is clear, to unite tradition and innovation so that every dish tells not only what we eat, but where we come from.