Supervisors info:
Μαρία Κούκου,Επίκουρη Καθηγήτρια, Αγροτικής Ανάπτυξης, Αγροδιατροφής και Διαχείρισης Φυσικών Πόρων, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Αντωνία Τέρπου,Επίκουρη Καθηγήτρια, Αγροτικής Ανάπτυξης, Αγροδιατροφής και Διαχείρισης Φυσικών Πόρων, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Νικόλαος Ορφανουδάκης, Καθηγητής, Αγροτικής Ανάπτυξης, Αγροδιατροφής και Διαχείρισης Φυσικών Πόρων, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Summary:
Geographical indications protect the property rights of producers, and they add value to products, promoting the economy and protecting both consumers and the environment. In the European Union GI products are defined by regulation, and member states rely on this regulation to establish their own legislative framework. Geographical indications in the European Union are used to indicate the origin and characteristics of products, which belong to a category, each of which has been assigned a specific label by the European Commission. Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) marks products, which are linked by strong ties to their location of origin. Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) marks products, which are inextricably linked to the place of production, and the characteristics that differentiate them and their properties owe their existence to the place of production, while Geographical Indications G.E. concern alcoholic beverages and flavored wines.
PDO agri-food products and PGE enjoy special quality, which is ensured by the control during their registration. The natural biodiversity, the traditional production and the nutritional value of the products contribute to this, and they are characteristics, because of the physical and soil properties, the microclimate, the microbiological and organoleptic characteristics which depend on the region of origin. The traditional element plays an important role in PDO and PGE products, as their production process includes elements of culture and local societies.
Nevertheless, trade in PDO and PGE products is harmed by product imitations, which make competition unfair. Indeed, there are many imitations of PDO and PGE products with their products containing hormones and chemical additives and their quality being degraded, but attracting the unsuspecting consumer, due to their low price. An important role in dealing with this phenomenon is played by the constantly improving contact and cooperation of consumers with the producers of PDO and PGE products. On the one hand, consumers are looking for quality assurance for the products they buy, while on the other hand, producers ensure that consumers are properly informed and do not become victims of deception.
The quality marking, which distinguishes POP and PGE products, contributes to the valid information of the consumer public, while at the same time it ensures the product itself from any imitations and protects the producer from unfair competition. Particularly for producers' associations and cooperatives, it is pointed out that by marking the quality of their products with geographical indications, they protect the product, the entire production, while at the same time trade and the market are protected and the sustainability of local and regional development is promoted.
Cheese products are considered as the most important milk products and have a significant increase in their production during the last twenty years. Their preparation is inextricably linked to the type of milk and its origin, as well as to the special method of preparation and the characteristics of the specific region. In the European Union, POP cheeses amount to at least 190, with Greece occupying fourth place in terms of the number of brands with 23 POP cheeses. The first place is occupied by Italy, followed by France and Spain, then Greece followed by England, Germany, Holland and other countries.
The growing importance given in recent decades to cheese products with a specific geographical indication, was the trigger for present study. We aim at pointing out the profits of geographical indications of cheese products, produced in the European Union and then, we categorize the cheeses, to highlight their special characteristics and to compare the cheeses of the same category produced from the same type of milk. In this way, both the type of milk chosen for the preparation of most cheeses, as well as their special characteristics due to their origin, will be highlighted.
In this study, the classification of cheeses into four categories is adopted based on their structure and consistency (very hard cheeses, hard cheeses, semi-hard cheeses, and soft cheeses or semi-soft or spreadable cheeses). A total of 62 cheeses were selected for these four categories of cheese products, of which 50 are POP and the remaining 12 are PGE and for which properties and characteristics were noted so that their comparison could be achieved.
The introductory part analyzes the concepts and categories of geographical indications, focusing on protected designations of origin (PDO) and protected geographical indications (PGI) in the European Union highlighting the quality and diversification of agri-food products and cheese products. Specifically, reference is taking place to the various categories of cheese products, the properties of the milk from which they are made, the various stages of production and their characteristics.
Cheese products originating from Greece and indicative cheese products of each type (very hard, hard, semi-hard, soft) of the member states of the European Union are then selected to achieve a comparison with Greek cheeses. Tables are created for these cheeses by category, which include information on their various characteristics, such as the type of label, the country of origin, the type of milk from which they are made, the method and time of coagulation and maturation, additional ingredients that may be used for their preparation, information on color, texture, aroma, taste, minimum total fat content and maximum permitted moisture. Taking this information into account, we carry out a comparative evaluation of these cheeses by category, to highlight the characteristics that differentiate one cheese from another, as well as to compare the Greek cheeses with their counterparts in the European Union
Keywords: Geographical Indications, PDO, PGI, agri-food products, cheese products, European Union.
