Abstract
Protected designations of origin (PDO) and Protected geographical indications (PGI) in the European Union have been recognized through a sound legal framework for more than three decades. We are recently witnessing an increased number of amendments to the product specifications of registered PDO/PGI. This paper aims to understand how PDO/PGI for the fruit and vegetables product class have evolved. Until 31 December 2018, there were 379 PDO/PGI registered under the fruit and vegetables product class and 81 amendments approved. We designed a coding guideline to: (i) analyze all the amendments to the product specifications; (ii) identify the type of rules that were modified; (iii) find out whether the amendments resulted in more flexible or more restrictive rules, and (iv) the respective justifications given by producers. We designed a database to manage all the information. Overall, amendments brought more flexible rules (particularly in Italy and Spain), while France showed a more diversified situation. Concerning the justifications stated by producers for amending the product specification, market changes, available new technology, and strengthening product quality were the most important, while environmental concerns were less relevant. Then, we in-depth analyzed the amendments that were explicitly justified with environmental reasons. The analysis showed only a light movement towards more environment-friendly rules, although environmental justifications were often used “indirectly”, as a means to achieve better marketing competitiveness, meeting new market demand and reducing production costs. These results seem consistent with previous studies, which indicated market forces as a primary motivation to amend product specifications.
Highlights
Under the European Union (EU) regulatory system, Protected designations of origin (PDO) and protected geographical indications (PGI) are meant to safeguard product names based on the specific quality attributes derived from their geographical origin [1]
According to the EU Database of Origin and Registration (DOOR), which contains the official documents on agricultural products and foods registered, or awaiting possible registration as PDO and PGI [25], until 31 December 2018, there were 379 PDO/PGI registered products in the product class 1.6 and 81 approved amendments, mostly located in Italy, France and Spain respectively
To analyze the official documents listed on the DOOR database we developed coding guidelines that helped to systematically assess the changes in the geographical area, rules on the farming and processing level, and final product characteristics, which corresponded to the specific sections indicated by the legislation for amendment applications
Summary
Under the European Union (EU) regulatory system, Protected designations of origin (PDO) and protected geographical indications (PGI) are meant to safeguard product names based on the specific quality attributes derived from their geographical origin [1]. The registration of a PDO/PGI asks producers and their collective organizations to file an application where the link between the quality attributes of the product and its geographical origin is demonstrated, and to provide a product specification (PS), which contains the rules producers must comply with for using the PDO/PGI. Evolving socio-economic conditions and changes in the biophysical environment may lead producers to amend PSs to tackle new challenges [4]. Nowadays, both scholars and policy makers consider food quality schemes as a tool for enhancing sustainability, including the environmental and social dimensions [5,6]. Changes in policies (such as phytosanitary and labelling rules) may oblige some adaptations in the production techniques and product quality characteristics [8,9]
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