The new AFQ certification mark was received by the local Agricultural Cooperative of Platykampos for its garlic under the name eNtopio Platikampou. The product was subjected to the strict protocols of the AFQ regulation and received the highest rating given by the mark, ie 20.
After the certification, the professor in the Department of Biochemistry and founder of FoodOxys, Dimitris Kouretas commented: “Nowadays, the objective evaluation of food authenticity is of primary importance, as consumers come into daily contact with a variety of foods from all over people and have increased sensitivity in the search for high quality and safety products. We did this today by certifying the garlic of the Agricultural Cooperative of Platykampos, which received the best of the quality system we have created “.
The AFQ quality system is not only Greek, it is also “different”, as it examines quality indicators that can highlight the comparative advantages of Greek agricultural products.
Today, agricultural products need to be certified to ensure that good farming, plant protection, harvesting and disposal practices are followed. Certification is a first step in differentiating a company and its products or an agricultural product from the competition. As Foodoxys researchers note, it is no coincidence that more and more consumers are looking for and choosing products that have been submitted and certified in various fields such as: quality, GMO free, Bio, vegan, etc. Listening to this consumer need, some processing industries no longer rely solely on their suppliers’ certificates, but proceed to issue their own requirements through private protocols, to which suppliers are “required” to adapt. Protocols that emphasize the point of production of agricultural products, the field and the person in charge of cultivation, the producer and of course the quality of agricultural products.
AFQ aspires to be the Greek and quality response to modern challenges and the beginning is made with the garlic of the Platykampos Cooperative. “What is required for Greek agricultural production is to improve and secure its quality, so that farmers do not sell their products at half price, while companies sell them gold. When the world and our region are flooded with unchecked products, the comparative advantage of our country – which is unique in biodiversity – must be the quality and the emergence of the origin. So that the agricultural products get added value and we do this by certifying the garlic of the Platykampos Cooperative “, Mr. Kouretas emphasizes.
On his part, the president of AS Platykampos, Ioannis Koukoutsis stressed: “We welcome the cooperation of the University of Thessaly with the Garlic Group of the Cooperative. The cultivation of garlic in the area of Platykampos has been known for many years, as well as its excellent quality. But that alone was not enough for our product to have the place it deserves. In the age we live in, among many similar products that flood the market, it has become necessary to prove the quality of Platykampos garlic. This was made possible by the AFQ quality system! Now the eNtopio garlic of Platykampos has a name and comparable advantages in the laboratory. New horizons open before us, at a time when traditional “dynamic” crops have fallen into a quagmire. I want to express my gratitude and the warm thanks of Platykampos to Professor Mr. Kouretas and his team, for this great donation, which gives impetus to a traditional local product in times of intense economic hardship “.