Five Food Quality Label Tunisia companies for the production of high quality harissa participated from 7 to 11 October 2017 at the world’s largest ANUGA agri-food fair in Cologne, with the assistance of the Food Canning Industries Group GICA), manager of the label, within the Tunisian national pavilion erected by the CEPEX and grouping together 36 Tunisian companies.
This participation falls within the framework of the program for the promotion of harissa labeled, which aims to improve the positioning of the Tunisian harissa certified in selected markets, including the German market. On the sidelines of the trade fair, German journalists and bloggers were invited to a culinary event where they were able to prepare recipes based on their knowledge of the different possibilities of using the Tunisian flagship product harissa under the guidance of a German chef.
The event was also attended by representatives of the GICA, the labeled companies, the PAMPAT project, the CEPEX, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Tunisian-German Chamber of Commerce. All guests appreciated the contribution made by the ” harissa to European recipes”.
With the support of several Tunisian institutions, since the launch of the “Food Quality Label” in 2014, international promotion activities for harissa are multiplying and diversifying. The new label has already been presented to the general public in several countries of the European Union as well as in the United States and Russia. A dynamic of collaboration under the Tunisian flag has been consolidated since 2015 between the companies of harissa certified. Thanks to the label, the inter-company competition is left to favor rather the promotion of the authentic recipe tunisian harissa on the international markets. Improving the reputation of high quality harissa has a positive impact on all certified Tunisian companies and is therefore a shared success.
The “Food Quality Label Tunisia” was launched by the Ministry of Industry and SMEs and GICA to protect Tunisian harissa as a terroir product of imitations on international markets and to meet the requirements of a number increasing demand from Tunisian and foreign customers for guarantees on the origin, composition and freshness of the ingredients. This is how the label on the certified harissa boxes guarantees the traditional recipe, the traceability, and the quality and freshness of the ingredients. Manufacturers of certified harissa submit their products to internal and external inspections in order to ensure the constant quality of the product and to ensure strict compliance with the specifications which has been published by decree of the Minister of Industry.
The quality label also responds to a concern for better organization of the sector, fair remuneration of farmers and a guarantee of food safety. This approach encouraged pepper producers to apply the selection criteria and improvement of the quality of their product, justifying increases of up to 25% .On the other hand, the specification of harissa with Food Quality Label foresees the signature of the contracts of supply between the enterprises of harissa and their suppliers, which reassures small farmers and improves their capacity for production planning.
Mr. Said Majbri, producer of pepper from the Zaafrana region, 15 km from Kairouan, sold his production previously through intermediaries; they were responsible for fixing prices and took the margins. Thanks to the development of a contract to produce peppers for the production of harissa labeled with the Fnare brand, Majbri was able to make better use of its peppery crop. It also poisoned its production areas.
Since the launch of the “Food Quality Label Tunisia” in 2014 an increasing number of Tunisian companies has joined the certification process. Eight harissa brands, representing a production capacity of more than 40% of the national production in 2016, are now certified “Food Quality Label Tunisia”. New companies are preparing for the label in the course of the next transformation campaigns. Certified harissa is exported to Europe, Canada and soon to the United States. Tunisian consumers can find the harissa labellisées of Petit Paris, Zgolli and Sticap in the Carrefour outlets. Innovations and initiatives to improve packaging have thus emerged to differentiate the labeled product from the conventional product.
Management of the Food Quality Label Tunisia for harissa as well as its promotion are provided by the Food Conservation Industries Group (GICA) with the support of the Market Access Project for Agri-Food and Agricultural Products (PAMPAT). The PAMPAT is funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of the Swiss Confederation (SECO) and managed by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and SMEs and the Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries.
Source: PRESS
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