1000th Quality Food Name Registered With EU
The Piacentinu Ennese, a sheep’s cheese from Italy, has became the one thousandth name to be registered under the European Commission’s agricultural product and foodstuff quality labels. Since their creation in 1992, the EU schemes have registered quality agricultural products and foodstuffs from across the EU and beyond. In recent years there has been a boost in applications due to enlargements of the EU and a growing interest from non-EU producers including from India, China, Thailand and Vietnam, among others.
The quality registers for agricultural products and foodstuffs comprise505 Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) names, which are products that owe their characteristics exclusively or essentially to their place of production and the savoir faire of local producers. The agricultural product or foodstuff must have been produced, processed and prepared in a given geographical area using recognised know-how
A further 465 are Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) – agricultural products and foodstuffs whose reputation or characteristics are closely linked to production in the geographical area. At least one of the stages of production, processing or preparation takes place in the area.
Thirty are listed as Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (TSG), product names that guarantee the traditional character, either in the composition or means of production. TSGs are not linked to any particular location, but must be produced in line with the specification laid down. The Commission also manages two registers for geographical indications of wines and spirit drinks.
