Protected Geographical Status

Protected Geographical Status ( PGS ) is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods.  Protected Designation of Origin ( PDO ), Protected Geographical Indication ( PGI ) and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed ( TSG ) are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework.

Came into force in 1992, the legislation ensures that only products genuinely originating in that region are allowed in commerce identified as such.

The law enforced within the EU and being gradually expanded internationally via bilateral agreements between the EU and non-EU countries.  Protected indications are treated as intellectual property rights by the Customs Regulation 1383/2003.

Objectives of the protection :

-       - to protect the reputation of the regional foods

-       - to promote rural and agricultural activity

-       - to help producers obtain a premium price for their authentic products

-       - to eliminate the unfair competition and misleading of consumers by non-genuine products

Protected Designation of Origin ( PDO )

The PDO is the name of an area, a specific place, or, in exceptional cases, the name of a country, used as a designation for an agricultural product or a foodstuff,

-        which comes from such an area, place or country,

-        whose quality or properties are significantly or exclusively determined by the geographical environment, including natural and human factors,

-         whose production, processing or preparation takes place within the determined geographical area.

The entire product must be traditionally and ENTIRELY manufactured ( prepared, processed and produced ) within the specific region and thus acquire unique properties.

e.g. Beurre d’ Ardenne cow’s milk butter, Colombian coffee, Danish Blue cheese,  Feta cheese,  Hungarian sausages, Inka® beverage, Jersey Royal potatoes,  Manuka honey, Manx Loaghtan sheep, Sabina olive oil, Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, Vidalia onion, Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb etc

Protected Geographical Indication ( PGI )

The PGI is the name of an area, a specific place, or, in exceptional cases, the name of a country, used as a description of an agricultural product or a foodstuff,

-         which comes from such an area, place or country,

-         which has a specific quality, goodwill or other characteristic property, attributable to its geographical origin,

-         whose production, processing or preparation takes place within the determined geographical area.

The entire product must be traditionally and at least PARTIALLY manufactured ( prepared, processed, or produced ) within the specific region and thus acquire unique properties.

e.g. Arbroath Smokies, Cornish pasty, Darjeeling tea, Lincolnshire sausage, Lübecker Marzipan candy, Melton Mowbray pork pie, Timoleague brown pudding sausage, Rönttönen candy, South Tyrolean Apple, Speck ham, etc

Traditional Speciality Guaranteed ( TSG )

The TSG is a trademark for an agricultural product or a foodstuff, which has a certain feature or a set of features, setting it clearly apart from other similar products or foodstuffs belonging to the same category.  The product or foofstuff must be manufactured using traditional ingredients or must be characteristic for its traditional composition, production process, or processing reflecting a traditional type of manufacturing or processing.

The entire product does not have to be manufactured in a specific geographical delimited area; its is sufficient that it be traditional and different from other similar products.

e.g. Karelian pasties, Sahti beer, etc