Journal of Food Processing & Technology

The other face of sustainability: Food design and typical productions in an Appenine experience

4^th International Conference and Exhibition on Food Processing & Technology

August 10-12, 2015 London, UK

Musotti F and Venanzi S

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Food Process Technol

Abstract:

This paper attempts at dealing with some agri-food and environmental phenomena from a new theoretical perspective that
is agro-food cultural economics. This approach is here widened to encompass the broader UNESCO’s definition of culture
as well. Besides cultural heritage (arts and creative activities, historical and artistic heritage), UNESCO (2009) includes natural
heritage (natural resources, cultural landscape and common technical and environmental knowledge) in its definition of culture
as source of productive activities. In particular, our analysis considers those processes of economic and cultural creation referring
to food design on the one hand and to “deposits of traditional local products” on the other. Food design is peculiar to big food
companies whose strong research and development departments turn highly formalized scientific knowledge (i.e., codified
knowledge) into food culture. On the contrary, “Deposits of traditional local products” are agro-food culture reserves specific of
clusters of small enterprises and “expert consumers” both rooted on local limited areas and interacting with each other. They are
able to create new food culture by constantly using and renewing traditional knowledge heritage that is knowledge established
for a long (often very long) time and typical of a specific natural environment socially reproduced (i.e., tacit knowledge). The
empirical investigation looks at an Appenine traditional breeding experience and shows how the two different processes of food
culture creation can also be effectively combined and offer new ways to reinforce made in Italy agri-food products and therefore
maintain peculiar physical environments (cultural landscapes).