Street-food is a broad concept that encompasses both the definition of a specific type of food and the economic sector that derives from it. Street food, or street-food, is a term that refers to all foods already ready for consumption, foods sold in itinerant structures or kiosks and which are consumed on the street; place designated for both sale and consumption.
Street food is a phenomenon that has always been present in Italy and part of our food and wine culture and local traditions. Piadina, Focaccia Genovese, Cecina, Lampredotto, Arrosticini, Panelle are all examples of typical products traditionally consumed even outside of commercial premises.
A heritage of history and flavors to be protected and valorised, promoting the knowledge of consumers, producers and street-fooders, the sellers.
In recent years, globalization has caused a worsening of eating habits, through the spread of fast-food and standardized food; changes that risk losing the centuries-old gastronomic traditions of our territories.
Due to the fragmentation of the offer, which sees an enormous number of operators of often extremely small dimensions, so far there has been little interest in carrying out targeted initiatives and investigations, with the consequence that the sector lacks adequate knowledge and tools for its importance and its growth prospects.
The definition of an evaluation protocol for operators in the street-food sector fits into this context. The Protocol will make it possible to provide a tool and a basis for evaluating operators with respect to some essential parameters, elements necessary for consumer safety, the valorisation of local productions and the protection of operators' work.
The evaluation tool will also allow the monitoring and evaluation of performance trends over time, highlighting positive growth paths and shortcomings of operators, and also allowing a territorial comparison of the results.
La definizione di un Protocollo di valutazione degli operatori costituisce uno degli strumenti e delle azioni messe in atto nell’ambito di una più ampia iniziativa rivolta al mondo dello street-food denominata FOSTER, «FOod STreet Research & Development».
FOSTER is an industrial research and experimental development project co-financed by the Ministry of Economic Development which aims to promote the growth and valorisation of the street-food sector and the economic operators who operate there.
Knowledge is the basis of all development and the entrepreneurial system must be strengthened by leveraging excellence and innovation. The introduction of a tool that is not present today such as the Evaluation Protocol represents an important growth opportunity for the sector and all its stakeholders.
