The Italian Sigep show, which covers artisan gelato, confectionery and bakery production, has opened its doors for the 30th year. Rimini’s mayor, Alberto Ravaioli and Rimini Fiera chairman Lorenzo Cagnoni opened the expo.

Chairman Cagnoni says, “I must confess feeling a touch of emotion, because today we are celebrating a very important achievement: thirty years of confectionery in an expo that through the years has grown a great deal and I’m convinced has made a concrete contribution to the national and international diffusion of prestigious unbeatable Italian-made artisan gelato and confectionery products.

“We would not have reached this point without the decisive help of the trade associations, the extraordinary artisan confectionery masters who have taken part in the exhibition, specialist and trade press and the countless companies who have loyally scheduled their participation at Rimini Fiera through the years.”

The Italian Gelato Makers Committee also announced that Gelato maker in the Campania region are the first to have signed an agreement protocol with the Codacons consumer rights organisation, which foresees that artisan gelato prices will be blocked for the whole of 2009. Numerous other trade union organizations are participating in this initiative and will meet on Tuesday 20th January at Sigep to reach a joint agreement applying the block on prices throughout the country.