Val di Non and Val di Sole Apple District - (Food District)

The Food District was conceived as a tool to recognise the capacity of agricultural and rural territories to initiate cooperation paths between the actors of the production chain aimed at the fair recognition of the work of all those involved and at the traceability of the production process in a logic of guarantee for the final consumer.

The Food District in general is a functional territorial production system that also has specific objectives

• to promote territorial development, cohesion and social inclusion
• promote the integration of activities characterised by territorial proximity;
• guarantee food safety;
• reduce the environmental impact of production;
• reduce food waste;
• safeguard the territory and the rural landscape.

With respect to the objectives described above, the district stands as an inclusive organisational approach that must initiate or develop development processes.

In particular, the Distretto della mela della Val di Non e Val di Sole with the "Mela In-forma" project will enable

• the development of new automated packaging lines in some of the plants of the agricultural cooperatives constituting the Distretto della Mela della Val di Non e Val di Sole will allow for an increase in production capacity. This will improve the packaging rate and internal processes will be optimised. With state-of-the-art packaging and labelling machines, reliability and expected performance will be significantly higher than with current technologies, reducing downtime and maintenance costs. On the other hand, upgrades of machinery and traceability programmes will improve the energy efficiency of the entire process, with reduced consumption. The automated grading system will handle multiple varieties of apples simultaneously, speeding up the process and reducing by-product waste.
• The adoption of the virtual warehouse will also represent a qualitative leap in stock management. The system, which is based on laser sensors and advanced software, allows precise, real-time monitoring of the positions of pre-calibrated bins. This improvement in traceability allows operators to quickly locate goods and optimise internal movements, with benefits for both efficiency and reliability of operations. Finally, the modernisation of the management software and data network in the plants is essential to support the new machinery and the virtual warehouse.
• scientific research activity, the aim being to deepen knowledge about the nutritional properties and benefits of Golden Dop and Renetta Dop apples. Particular attention will be paid to the effects on the gut and the gut-liver/brain relationship, through a detailed analysis of the chemical and nutritional composition, a rigorous clinical study in subjects with metabolic syndrome, and the evaluation of the effects on neuronal and cognitive health markers.

In order to verify the correct and effective implementation of the District Plan, as well as the maintenance of the requirements declared when the recognition was granted, by 30 April of each year following recognition, the District contact person must send a report on the activities carried out and the objectives achieved, approved by the District Assembly, to the competent Service of the assignment.

Recipients of the service are the Food Districts established through an agreement in which entities among those indicated in paragraph 3, Article 4 of Provincial Council Resolution no. 1436/2021 below may participate.

The Districts must have their registered office or operational headquarters in the territory of the Province of Trento.

If they operate in an inter-regional or inter-provincial territory, recognition shall be granted, subject to agreement with the other Regions or Provinces concerned, if the prevalent part of the territory falls within the territory of the Province of Trento.

In order to obtain recognition, the District

a) represents one or more agricultural and/or food products

b) demonstrates that it operates in a defined territory, understood as a geographical area that may include part or all of the provincial territory. Territory at least 5 contiguous municipalities and at least 10 in total;

c) proves to be representative of the agricultural and agri-food production carried out in the territory of the District, according to the parameters set out in Article 8(3) of Resolution No. 1436/2021 below

d) it demonstrates that it has rules of relationship and operation that are binding on those participating in the District, through the adoption of the agreement referred to in Article 4 of Resolution No 1436/2021 below.

The application for recognition shall be submitted by the District's contact person, appointed by the District Assembly and identified from among the member entities.

The District Contact Point forwards the application for recognition to the competent provincial structure.

The application for recognition of the District shall be accompanied by:

a) the Constitutive Agreement

b) the Articles of Association, if provided for in the legal form chosen for the District

c) the Rules of Operation of the District Assembly

d) the District Plan

e) the information notice pursuant to Articles 13 and 14 of EU Regulation No. 679 of 2016

f) photocopy of an identity document of the applicant (if the application is signed with a handwritten signature and not in the presence of the employee in charge).

The relevant legislation states that the Regions and Autonomous Provinces are responsible for the identification of food districts and their subsequent communication to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Fodder, at which the National Register of Food Districts is established.

The districts are currently recognised and entered in the Register of Food Districts set up at MASAF.

The Distretto della Mela della Val di Non e Val di Sole was awarded first place in the 'Distretti del Cibo' (Food Districts) competition promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, with the 'Mela In-forma' project.