A km 0 ice-cream parlour focuses on local and seasonal ingredients. In its published 2022 text, Article 2 of Italian Law No. 61 of 17 May 2022 defines km 0 products by the production and processing of their primary agricultural ingredients within a 70 km radius of the place of sale, or within the same province. 2022 legal source.
The definition concerns the origin and supply chain of ingredients. It does not automatically show that every component of an ice cream is local, nor does it by itself guarantee nutritional quality or product superiority.
Km 0 and short supply chains are not the same
The same law distinguishes a short supply chain, with no commercial intermediary or just one between producer and consumer. The cooperatives and consortia specified by the law do not count as intermediaries. A short chain does not necessarily meet the territorial km 0 threshold.
Applying the approach in an ice-cream parlour
- document the producer and the place where each primary ingredient is produced and processed
- state clearly which flavours use local ingredients without extending the claim to the whole range
- adapt flavours to seasonal availability and always verify allergens, storage and traceability
A historical Italian example
Corriere del Veneto featured Roberto Bonato’s Zeno Gelato e Cioccolato in Verona in 2011: a historical example, not a current certification. 2011 article.
