PDO, PGI and TSG: Italy is confirmed as the first country in Europe in terms of the number of awards given by the EU to quality agri-food products. The budget released at the end of 2016 by ISTAT quantifies 278 certifications (9 more than in 2014), 113 more than in comparison with 2008. The European certification attests to the strong link between agrifood excellence and the territory of origin, a character widely spread along the Peninsula.
In Italy, the sectors with the largest number of certified agricultural products are: fruits, vegetables and cereals (106 products, +3 compared to the previous survey), cheeses (51: +2), extra virgin olive oils (43: no change), meat preparations (40: +2) and bakery products (10: +2). Fresh meat and other sectors include 5 and 33 specialties, respectively.
There are 80,010 certified operators. Almost all of them (91.1 percent) carry out production activities only, 5.7 percent processing; the remaining 3.2 percent perform both activities. More than three-quarters of producers (75.9 percent) are active in mountainous and hilly areas, the remaining 24.1 percent operate in lowland areas.
The Italian regions with the most certified products are Emilia-Romagna (42), Veneto (36), Lombardy (32), Sicily (29), Tuscany (28), Lazio (26), Piedmont and Campania (both with 22).
WHAT ARE DOP, IGP AND STG PRODUCTS
– PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) is the certification granted to products originating in a specific geographical area: they have characteristics due to a particular geographical environment and are produced and processed exclusively in a delimited territory.
– PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) is the mark given to products originating in a specific geographical area: they possess a certain quality, reputation or other characteristics attributable to a specific territory, or are at least produced and/or processed in a delimited geographical area.
– TSG (Traditional Specialty Guaranteed) products include those preparations recognized and protected by the EU, whose peculiarities depend on a traditional product composition, typical recipe or traditional production method. At the end of 2015, mozzarella and Neapolitan pizza were confirmed as the only traditional Italian specialties recognized by the EU.
Related posts:
Bisphenol A toxicity, EFSA declares a public health alert
Listeria alert on desserts, Müller recalls them 12 days after expiration date
Honey, fruit juices, jams and marmalades, dehydrated milk. Proposals for reform of marketing standards in EU
EFSA opinion on nitrosamines in food. The population is at risk
