The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designate products that have been produced, processed and developed in a specific geographical area, using the recognized know-how of local producers and ingredients from the region concerned. [1]
The characteristics of the products protected are essentially linked to their terroir. The European or UK PDO logo, of which the use is compulsory, documents this link. [2] European Regulation 510/2006 of 20 March 2006 acknowledges a priority to establish a community protection system that ensures equal conditions of competition between producers. This European Regulation is intended to guarantee the reputation of regional products, adapt existing national protections to make them comply with the requirements of the World Trade Organization, and inform consumers that products bearing the protected designation of origin logo comply with the conditions of production and origin specified by the designation. The Regulation applies to certain agricultural products and foods for which there is a link between the characteristics of the product or the food and its geographical origin: they may be wines, cheeses, hams, sausages, olives, beers, fruits, vegetables, breads or animal feed. [3] [1] [4]
Foods such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Gorgonzola, Asiago cheese, Camembert de Normandie, and Champagne can be labeled as such only if they come from the designated region. For example, to be marketed under the Roquefort designation of origin, [5] a cheese must be processed from raw milk from a certain breed of sheep (Lacaune), the animals must be raised in a specific territory and the cheese obtained must be refined in one of the cellars at Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in the French department of Aveyron, where it must be seeded with mold spores (Penicillium roqueforti) prepared from traditional strains endemic to these same cellars. [2]
The PDO logo is available in all languages of the European Union and companies are free to use the logo and abbreviation of any of the versions. Examples of different language versions are shown below:
| Language | Name | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| Bulgarian | Защитено наименование за произход | ЗНП |
| Croatian | Zaštićena oznaka izvornosti | ZOI |
| Czech | Chráněné označení původu | ChOP |
| Danish | Beskyttet oprindelsesbetegnelse | BOB |
| Dutch | Beschermde Oorsprongsbenaming | BOB |
| Estonian | Kaitstud päritolunimetus | KPN |
| English | Protected designation of origin | PDO |
| Finnish | Suojattu alkuperänimitys | SAN |
| French | Appellation d'origine protégée | AOP |
| German | geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung | g. U. |
| Greek | προστατευόμενη ονομασία προέλευσης | ΠΟΠ |
| Hungarian | Oltalom alatt álló eredetmegjelölés | OEM |
| Irish | Bunús Ainmníochta Cosanta | BAC |
| Italian | Denominazione d'Origine Protetta | DOP |
| Latvian | Aizsargāts cilmes vietas nosaukums | ACVN |
| Lithuanian | Saugomos kilmės vietos nuorodos | SKVN |
| Maltese | Denominazzjoni ta' Oriġini Protetta | DOP |
| Polish | chroniona nazwa pochodzenia | ChNP |
| Portuguese | Denominação de Origem Protegida | DOP |
| Romanian | Denumirea de origine protejată | DOP |
| Slovakian | Chránené označenie pôvodu | CHOP |
| Slovenian | Zaščitena označba porekla | ZOP |
| Spanish | Denominación de origen protegida | DOP |
| Swedish | Skyddad ursprungsbeteckning | SUB |
| Turkish | Coğrafi işaret tescili | Cİ |
The protected names are entered in the European "register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications", or "EU Quality Register" for short, which is maintained by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development. [6] The applications, publications, registrations and any changes are recorded in the DOOR (Database of Origin and Registration) database and can be accessed online by anyone. [7]
Starting on 1 April 2019, the online database eAmbrosia was put into operation by the European Commission, which lists information about protected wines, spirits and food in the European Union and the previous three different databases: E-SPIRIT-DRINKS, DOOR and E -BACCHUS replaced on 31 December 2019. [8]
Roquefort is a sheep milk blue cheese from southern France. Though similar cheeses are produced elsewhere, EU law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon may bear the name Roquefort, as it is a recognised geographical indication, and has a protected designation of origin.
Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect names of agricultural products and foodstuffs, wines and spirits. Products registered under one of the three schemes may be marked with the logo for that scheme to help identify those products. The schemes are based on the legal framework provided by the EU Regulation No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs. This regulation applies within the EU as well as in Northern Ireland. Protection of the registered products is gradually expanded internationally via bilateral agreements between the EU and non-EU countries. It ensures that only products genuinely originating in that region are allowed to be identified as such in commerce. The legislation first came into force in 1992. The purpose of the law is to protect the reputation of the regional foods, promote rural and agricultural activity, help producers obtain a premium price for their authentic products, and eliminate the unfair competition and misleading of consumers by non-genuine products, which may be of inferior quality or of a different flavour. Critics argue that many of the names, sought for protection by the EU, have become commonplace in trade and should not be protected.
The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine:
Emmental, Emmentaler, or Emmenthal is a yellow, medium-hard cheese that originated in the Emme valley, Switzerland. It is classified as a Swiss-type cheese.
In France, the appellation d'origine contrôlée is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the terroir – and using recognized and traditional know-how. The specificity of an AOC product is determined by the combination of a physical and biological environment with established production techniques transmitted within a human community. Together, these give the product its distinctive qualities.
A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin. The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, is intended as a certification that the product possesses certain qualities, is made according to traditional methods, or enjoys a good reputation due to its geographical origin.
The Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) is the French organization charged with regulating French agricultural products with protected designation of origin (PDOs). It is controlled by the Government of France, and it forms part of the Ministry of Agriculture. The organization was co-founded by Châteauneuf-du-Pape producer Baron Pierre Le Roy.
Ossau-Iraty is a Basque cheese made from sheep's milk.
Damassine is a clear, fruit spirit, distilled from the red damson plum, produced exclusively in the Swiss Republic and Canton of Jura following appellation d'origine protégée (AOP) guidelines that require specific sourcing and production practices. Damassine is also considered an eau de vie, more specifically an eau de vie de prunes, and is commonly referred to as a fruit brandy contrary to the regulation defining it as a fruit spirit.
Strada dell'olio is a kind of gastronomical route in Italy that crosses a territory rich of traditional products, PDOs and PGIs, DOCs and DOCGs in Italy. It is sometimes linked to an enological tour.
Imokilly Regato is a cows' milk hard cheese made in Mogeely, County Cork, Ireland.
Traditional foods are foods and dishes that are passed on through generations or which have been consumed for many generations. Traditional foods and dishes are traditional in nature, and may have a historic precedent in a national dish, regional cuisine or local cuisine. Traditional foods and beverages may be produced as homemade, by restaurants and small manufacturers, and by large food processing plant facilities.
In Switzerland, the appellation d'origine protégée is a geographical indication protecting the origin and the quality of traditional food products other than wines.
Salama da sugo, also known as salamina da sugo, is a particular salami made of pork typical of the province of Ferrara consumed after cooking. It is recognized with the PGI and PDO designations of origin.
