The names of some Italian cheeses, as well as that of other food products, are derived from those of their areas of origin. To prevent their fame from being unduly exploited both in and outside their countries of origin, specifications have been enacted that these names protect.
The purpose is to prevent the names of Italian cheeses from being used unduly, for different specialties or otherwise from areas other than those most traditionally devoted to them.
In order to obtain registration in the register of PDO products, it is necessary for interested Italian cheese producers to send a specific request to the European Commission, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, aimed at demonstrating the specificities of the production recipe and the link to the production territory.
To date, the names of a great many foods are registered in Europe: in fact, there are 160 cheeses and other dairy products alone, of which 32 are Italian.
There are four dedicated Quality Marks and they are for products from organic farming, those with Protected Designations of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) and Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG).
