From knowledge to consumption: How consumers perceive food quality

Italy is a country of great local customs and traditions, and each region has peculiar typical characteristics, which determine different qualitative, sensory, and organoleptic attributes in food products. This allows the promotion of the growth of POD- and PGI-certified brands, transforming it into an important production area of “Made in Italy” food excellence. The quality of food is linked to the sustainability of the “agri-food system,” a term increasingly used in various strategic documents, policies, and development plans at the international, national, and local level: “Agenda 2030” (UN), the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the Green Deal, and the “Farm to Fork” strategy that represents the attention and the acquisition of greater awareness of the consumer, who wants to be informed about the origin and the nutritional composition of a food. This work investigates the behaviour of Italian consumers towards certificated products through survey administration. From the observation of the results obtained, it emerges that 90% of respondents recognize certification logos and their main differences, while food safety is chosen by 62% of consumers to represent the concept of quality.