Italy has a wonderful and famous culture rich in art, food and design and has no shortage of brilliant Italian literary scholars, musicians, architects and high end designers; which is difficult for many countries to compete against. These days’ exports include luxury cars, electrical goods, and clothing which are like no other of their kind. Italian exports are reputable for their reliability, detail, style and unique craftsmanship. Italian food commands around 6% of the global food export market, mostly comprising of Wine, Pasta, Olive Oil, Olives, Cheeses, Meats and other specialty items. Many of these delicious Italian foods are protected by the European Protected Food Names Scheme, which means that similar food products cannot legally use the protected names of such products unless it is processed, prepared and packaged in Italy. Gorgonzola cheese, Parma ham and parmesan are among a massive 223 protected foods. The scheme has a very beneficial effect on Italy’s economy, and allows Italy to be recognised for its innovation, technique and traditional recipes and methods; many importers are very keen to obtain original foods with the cachet of having this protected status.