Neapolitan pizza getting EU designation

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BELGIUM, Belgium, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- The European Union's quality food board is granting Italy's Neapolitan pizza its coveted Traditional Specialty Guaranteed label, ANSA reported Tuesday.

The Italian news agency said it had learned the label, meant to ward off cheap imitations, will be awarded Wednesday, barring any unexpected delays. It's an honor Neapolitan pizza makers have sought for 25 years.

"Let's hope it's really coming this time," Antonio Pace, head of a group lobbying for the designation, said. "They've been telling us it's in the pipeline for so long, it'll be a relief to finally get it. It'll be a milestone and, above all, a way to stop stuff that isn't really pizza being touted as such."

Once it's official only pizza made faithfully according to Neapolitan tradition can be called "Neapolitan Pizza."

"The produce that goes into it, the ways of making and baking it, the whole process of assembling the finished package must be rigorously verified," he said. "We'll have to be very careful about that".