Abstract
PurposeThrough geographical indications, the European Union aims to stimulate economies, especially in lagging rural regions, and to help consumers recognise and locate quality products from specific regions. The highly uneven distribution of geographical indications, and with that the unequal benefits of this policy, have been identified and discussed in the scientific literature on food and rural development.Design/methodology/approachUsing a statistical analysis of the distribution of geographical indications, the paper tests the validity of several theoretical explanations that are offered in the literature for the uneven spatial distribution.FindingsFrom this assessment, the paper concludes, amongst others, that common single-cause explanations for the uneven distribution of labels in Europe have weak explanatory value. Rather, the uneven distribution is based on a complex set of causes, with different effects at national and regional level. Moreover, the findings highlight that in contrast to its aim, the policy does not seem to benefit especially lagging rural regions.Originality/valueThe analysis of the uneven distribution of labels in Europe offered here suggests that a distinction should be drawn between the mechanisms resulting in regional food products versus the mechanisms resulting in regional food labels, such as geographical indications.
Highlights
The link between food quality and the geography of food has received growing interest during recent decades (Joosse, 2014)
The competition between labels to be granted is generated through positive regional feedback and negative national feedback
Model 2 introduces the variables related to Agricultural Productivity, namely Productivity (H1), Holding size (H2) and Less Favoured Areas (LFAs) (H3)
Summary
The link between food quality and the geography of food has received growing interest during recent decades (Joosse, 2014). The AOC serves to protect the integrity and quality of wines, and inspired Italy, Portugal and Spain to introduce similar legislation (Ilbery et al, 2005; Moran, 1993a). People in these countries widely accept the idea that a geographical origin of a product is significant for its quality, an idea that is captured in the concept of “terroir” (Barham, 2003; Trubek, 2008). France, Spain, Portugal and Italy were the first countries to request, in the late 1980s, the EU to protect product names (Marcoz et al, 2016), while other European countries were more indifferent towards labelling regional products. After the WTO agreed with the USA’s complaints of disguised trade protection (London Economics, 2008; Josling, 2006), producer groups outside the European Union could apply
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