Geographical Indications Under the Gender Lens, Is Here a Barbecue Effect? Italy: A Case Study on Consumers

The aim of the study is to verify whether there is a gendered aptitude for the interpretation of the symbols that certify geographical indications. In the Italian socio-political context, the competent institutions establish geographical indications as an emblem of food quality. Given that women are still the ones responsible for managing meals within households, who better than them should know these symbols? The study proposes a quantitative analysis of data collected by questionnaire between 2023 and 2024. The sample includes 562 people and the main results are as follows: women use the notion of provenance more than men to define the quality of a product, yet they do not know the symbols of PDO and PGI any more than men. On the contrary, it is men who are more familiar with the PDO symbol, while the PGI is very little known by the population. The article analyzes this apparent contradiction.