By 29 December 2025

AFIDOP – MONITORING PROJECT 2025: RESULTS

December 2025

Following the positive feedback from the pilot “Monitoring Project”, launched in 2023 by AFIDOP with the support of GriffeShield on a sample of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) cheese products, in 2025 the Association initiated the second phase of the project, extending it to the entire membership and involving a total of 22 Geographical Indications.

Objectives of the 2025 research project
The research activity aimed to verify the presence of the 22 AFIDOP-member designations in online menus of Italian foodservice establishments and to analyse how these designations are used.

The project was once again assigned to GriffeShield, a company specialising in online monitoring and research. The objective of the survey was to assess the effective application of the AFIDOP-FIPE Guidelines for online menus and was conducted in the second half of 2025. The initiative was conceived both as a support tool for the surveillance activities of the Protection Consortia and as an opportunity to raise awareness among foodservice operators regarding the correct use and more informed valorisation of designations of origin.

Results
The 2025 online research identified the presence of at least one of the analysed designations in 2,630 establishments, corresponding to 24.4% of the analysed panel, a figure broadly in line with the results of the previous 2023 survey (25.3%). This outcome is particularly significant in light of the increased number of designations involved.

Overall, 8,058 items of content were identified, with a significant increase in the average number of findings per establishment, rising from 2.56 to 3.06 (+20%), confirming greater visibility of Geographical Indications in online menus.

As already observed in 2023, the presence of the designations was recorded in establishments located in all Italian provinces, with Florence and Bologna confirming their positions as the top two cities in terms of number of findings.

The distribution of the identified content is influenced by various factors, both endogenous and exogenous to the research, including the areas of origin of the participating designations, the type of establishment, the level and manner of use of digital tools by foodservice operators, as well as the seasonality of the monitoring period.

Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana and Gorgonzola are, in this order, the most frequently mentioned designations in absolute terms, together accounting for 78% of the total content identified. The ranking changes significantly when analysing the correct use of designations in relation to total mentions: in this respect, particular attention is observed for Gorgonzola, which shows correct use in 33.8% of cases, followed by Parmigiano Reggiano (15.4%), Grana Padano (11.3%), Taleggio (8.8%) and Pecorino Romano (7.8%), down to Provolone Valpadana and Quartirolo Lombardo.

A deeper analysis of the total citations of each Geographical Indication shows that Asiago, Caciocavallo Silano, Fontina, Montasio, Piave, Strachitunt, Salva Cremasco and Taleggio are always reported correctly. Particularly high levels of correctness are also recorded for Gorgonzola (99%), Pecorino Romano (94%) and Bitto (94%). Overall, compliance with production specifications was observed in 52% of cases.

For the designations already included in the 2023 research, a general improvement in the correctness of citations emerges, with particularly significant progress for the larger designations, such as Gorgonzola (from 94% to 99%), Parmigiano Reggiano (from 23% to 37%) and Grana Padano (from 22% to 29%). Some critical issues persist, linked to the complexity of designations composed of multiple words and, for those with greater notoriety and diffusion, to the use of generic references or improper abbreviations.

An increase compared to 2023 is also noted in the association of designations with the acronym PDO, which indicates growing attention to communicating certified origin.

Overall, awareness-raising campaigns, surveillance activities carried out by the Protection Consortia and the Association, together with the agreements and guidelines adopted, have contributed over a two-year period to greater awareness and attention to the certified origin of the products used.

Additional qualifiers accompanying the main designation are present, even if with differences among cases. The indication of ageing remains an information that is still rarely included in online menus: compared to 2023, an increase is recorded in absolute terms, mainly concentrated on Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano, which together account for almost 93% of cases.

RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT

 

Activity carried out with MASAF funds granted under Ministerial Decree No. 0672678 of 20/12/2024. CUP J88H24002550007