Justyna Lasik, Head of Economic and Trade Section, European Union Delegation to Singapore, explained the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA) and mentioned concrete benefits for trade relations between the EU and Singapore F&B sector.
She said: "The comprehensive FTA in force between the EU and Singapore provides great opportunities for the agri-food sector and strengthens our bilateral economic and commercial ties. With the EU's 140 Geographical Indications registered in Singapore, consumers can enjoy and more easily recognise a wide range of authentic and high-quality European agri-food products.”
Authentic food and beverages from the EU carry the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) marks in their packaging.
The webinar also featured F&B players in Singapore who are knowledgeable about EU food and beverages. Ary Taoubi, channel manager of Classic Fine Foods, noted that the EUSTA opened the gates for more EU products to enter the Singapore market.
She told Tasty Asia that awareness of quality EU food and drinks are high amongst food professionals and chefs in Singapore. The company's challenge is spreading this awareness to the retail sector. Classic Fine Foods, which has a presence in 12 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Europe, recently launched an online gourmet shop in Singapore catering to retail consumers.
Another presenter is Chef Teo Yeow Siang, culinary director of catering company Three Embers. He told Tasty Asia that using authentic EU-produced food ingredients do make a difference in the dishes they serve. At the webinar, the multi-awarded chef demonstrated the various ways to use dairy, olive oil and table olives products from the EU.
Siang said having a PDO, or PGI seal not only indicates the authenticity of the products. It is also a sign of respect to the food ingredient producers’ craftsmanship. These farmers spent years perfecting their olive oils or cheese, so the PDO and PGI seals are recognitions on how well-crafted their products are, he added.
Beppe De Vito, chef-restaurateur of ilLido Group, also presented at the webinar. He stressed the importance of the EU's quality schemes to help foodservice professionals determine the quality of the ingredients they will use for their dishes.
He said: “Across all our collection of restaurants and bars, we are inspired by ingredients, techniques and producers. It is important for us to source responsibly and artisanally, because that undeniable quality from PDO and PGI-certified products translates into the final dish.” (Image from Pixabay)
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