On the occasion of the G7 on agriculture and fisheries scheduled from 27th to 29th September on the island of Ortigia, in the heart of Syracuse, Barilla will be the protagonist with a series of events dedicated to taste, solidarity and commitment to sustainable agriculture.
In fact, in collaboration with the Civil Protection of Parma, for the first time, the Emergency Mobile Kitchen, one of the symbols of the company’s commitment to the communities, will arrive in Syracuse to tell its story and show its work to visitors and delegations present, but also to give life to moments of conviviality and taste.
Thanks to the contribution of over 30 volunteers, From 25 to 27 September, at the Divinazione EXPO area, the Barilla Mobile Emergency Kitchen will organize a series of Barilla Pasta Parties open to all citizens, to celebrate together one of the symbols of the Italian culinary tradition.
The recipes made with Barilla pasta, sauces and pestos will be carried out under the supervision of Marchello Zaccaria, Executive Chef of Academia Barilla. On this occasion there will also be an exhibition of Mulino Bianco and Pavesi products.
“We thank the Ministry of Agriculture for involving us in the G7 in Syracuse, a unique opportunity for discussion, in which particularly relevant issues for the entire sector will be addressed. Barilla will be present with its own Chef and the Emergency Mobile Kitchen to celebrate pasta, a symbolic dish of Italian gastronomy, to tell its commitment to the communities in which it operates and to an increasingly sustainable Italian agriculture”, comments the Barilla Group.
The Emergency Mobile Kitchen, consisting of 7 vehicles and a trolley for celiac cuisine is a project that Barilla has been promoting since 2014 in collaboration with the Civil Protection of Parma.
The kitchen truck, ready to be activated in case of emergency in just four hours, is capable of deliver over 500 hot meals per hour to support both communities affected by crisis situations and the volunteers working to provide assistance.
The kitchen, for example, intervened immediately during the flood in Emilia – Romagna in 2023, but also tragedy at the hydroelectric plant of Suviana. Furthermore, it supported the populations affected by the flood in Tuscany last fall, the 2016 Amatrice earthquake and the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake. The project is strongly supported by the Barilla Family which, since the 1994 Piedmont flood, has actively collaborated with the National Civil Protection and with the Regional Civil Protection and Parma in particular.
“The Emergency Mobile Column was created to bring hot meals where there is need, as we did in 2023 during the flood in Emilia-Romagna and then in Tuscany: it is a commitment of great humanity that we renew year after year together with Barilla. On this occasion, 31 volunteers from Parma have decided to participate in an experience that is different from the usual: to celebrate with the whole city of Syracuse, enjoying the combinations of Barilla pasta and sauces together”, he adds Stefano Camin, president of the Civil Protection of Parma.
Thanks to Barilla, bronze pasta will be the protagonist not only at the EXPO but also at the G7 works during the lunch dedicated to ministerial delegations on September 27th. The Executive Chef of Academia Barilla, Marcellus Zaccaria will prepare two special dishes for the over 180 officials who will follow the G7 work in the Maniace Castle in Ortigia.
“The recipes presented were deliberately created taking as a reference the ingredients of the territory from Emilia Romagna to Sicily so as to create a combination on the plate: alongside the Pasta Barilla al Bronzo it will be possible to taste hazelnuts, but also citrus peel or datterini tomatoes and basil. The basis is the desire to maximize the Mediterranean nature of the products and their territories” – concludes Marcello Zaccaria, Executive Chef of Academia Barilla.
For Barilla, supporting sustainable agricultural practices along the entire production chain is essential, bringing good and tasty food to the table, inspired by a healthy lifestyle and the Mediterranean Diet, while respecting the environment and communities. Using quality raw materials is not only a competitive production necessity, but for Barilla it is a social and ethical responsibility and this is why in recent years it has adopted well four Disciplinaries for the sustainable cultivation of our main ingredients.
Among these, in particular, since 2018 in Italy Barilla has introduced the Mill Paper, in collaboration with WWF Italia, the University of Bologna and the University of Tuscia: 10 rules designed to guarantee an ever-increasing quality of products, support the work of farming communities and limit the impact on the planet, through the protection of biodiversity (3% of wheat fields are in fact dedicated to flowers), the reduction of the use of chemical substances and the protection of pollinating insects.
There Basil Card with which it covers 100% of the purchases of exclusively Italian basil for the preparation of Pesto alla Genovese Barilla, of all its pestos, sauces and gravies, and is based on some key principles: sourcing of basil from sustainable agriculture, protection of biodiversity, valorization of farming communities. And the brand new “Hazelnut Card” an innovative sustainable agriculture specification, created in collaboration with the University of Tuscia, which includes a set of rules and recommendations for agriculture and relations with suppliers, designed to guarantee the traceability of 100% Italian hazelnuts, the adoption of good agricultural practices and biodiversity along the entire supply chain.