Technology to protect Neapolitan pizza: blockchain to guarantee its authenticity

Technology at the service of protecting Campania's traditions and typical food and wine products. This was the focus of the panel "Neapolitan Pizza and Blockchain: Tradition and Future of Campania," held at the Italian Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka during the week dedicated to Campania. The event aimed to demonstrate how digital traceability tools can help build a new level of trust between producers and consumers, strengthening perceived authenticity and increasing the value of certified supply chains. "I congratulate Campania not only for the variety and beauty" of what they brought to the Italian Pavilion, "but also for this focus on innovation and high technology," said Ambassador Mario Vattani, Commissioner General for Italy at Expo 2025 Osaka. "They chose to resonate with our story, which we bring to Expo Osaka, one of culture, territory, and also technology," Vattani emphasized. "Pizza has always been linked to Naples," said Nicola Caputo, Campania Region Councilor for Agriculture, but "we wanted to add value to the supply chains that contribute to pizza quality," such as tomato, oil, and mozzarella producers. "We've launched a pilot project," Caputo explained, "through which we will identify 100 pizzerias worldwide that include at least some of the 10 pizzas with the reference products of controlled origin on their menus." (Pino) Coletti, founder of the startup Authentico, which uses blockchain to combat Italian-sounding products. Speaking remotely, Coletti explained that "the '100% Campania Neapolitan Pizza' project" aims to ensure that "consumers around the world can be sure they're tasting authentic Made in Campania products," which is currently "not the case," given that "two out of every three Italian products sold worldwide are imitations." supply chains on a platform where each of the players can enter data, documents, information, and verify the origin starting from the raw materials. "At this point, pizzas become an object that collects the best of Made in Campania" and pizzerias "become our amplifier, but with the support of technology" that "allows us to trace the ingredients from field to table", in this case those Made in Campania. In the pilot project "10 traditional pizzas, 25 ingredients, were chosen, with the aim, in the first phase, of representing Made in Campania throughout the world through the pizzerias that will adopt this project." Also on stage to share their experiences in their respective supply chains were Rita Liberti, representative of the Consortium for the Protection of Campanian Buffalo Mozzarella DOP, Raffaele Amore, regional president of Cia-Agricoltori Italiani and president of the Promotion Committee of the Campania IGP Olive Oil brand, and Salvatore Cuomo, pizza chef, chef, and entrepreneur who is very present and well-known in Japan, who took the stage with the Association of Neapolitan Pizza Makers.