EU-wide mapping of ‘Protected Designations of Origin’ food products (PDOs) reveals correlations with social-ecological landscape values

Abstract

The Geographical Indications (GIs) scheme is the EU’s primary policy tool for increasing the market values of geographically distinct food products. Although GIs are linked to the landscapes of food production, little is known about the social-ecological values they represent, mainly due to a lack of spatial data. In this study, we, therefore, mapped all 638 food products labeled as Protected Designations of Origin (PDOs), using NUTS-3 areas as proxies for their actual extent, and correlated their distribution with 13 social-ecological indicators. By compiling this novel dataset, we show that the presence of PDOs strongly overlaps with environmental and cultural values. We reveal positive correlations of PDO frequency with high nature value farmland, semi-natural agriculture, tourism, and cultural heritage indicators. Further, we find that PDOs occur more often in economically weaker areas with older and declining populations. Besides differences in PDO distribution between northern and southern EU countries, we find different correlation patterns across the four largest food categories. For example, cheese and meat products are less correlated to environmental values compared to oils and fats, or fruit, vegetables and cereals. On that basis, we identify the potential of PDOs to support structurally deprived areas and propose PDOs as entry points for sustainable transformation and rural development policies—while simultaneously contributing to the conservation of cultural landscapes and their associated environmental values. As outlined in the Green Deal of the European Union and its Farm to Fork strategy, PDOs should be a part of this transformation. Based on the results of this study, we discuss more specifically for which production systems and under what enabling conditions PDOs are fit for this challenge. We recommend that future governance interventions for a sustainable transformation of EU’s agriculture should take the differences across regions and product categories into account.

Eurasian consumers' food safety beliefs and trust issues in the age of COVID‐19: evidence from an online survey in 15 countries

“…Out of 638 food products labeled as PDO, 30.1% are cheeses, and 12.6% are meat and meat products. Both locally and on the regional scale, Italy and Spain are identified as PDO animal‐origin food product ‘hotspots’ 40 . Spanish (1.9) and Italian (2.2) consumers (Table 2) disagreed the most with the statement that food of animal origin is unsafe to eat, which can be explained by the fact that the production, processing, packaging and consumption of the food of animal origin are a part of their everyday life, tradition and cultural identity.…”

The role of nature's contributions to people in sustaining international trade of agricultural products

“…Evidence collected on sense of place suggests that, compared to other NCP or NCP categories, place attachment through products is mostly associated with niche or luxury products. This is also demonstrated by the range of Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) products in Europe that is dominated by cheeses, sausages and cured meat, with fruits and vegetables comprising only a small share of PDOs (Flinzberger et al., 2022). Products with a PDO are also mainly those where uniqueness of the local knowledge needed for production plays a role.…”

Efeitos das indicações geográficas no desenvolvimento local de regiões demarcadas

“…Apesar disso, se utilizadas de forma estratégica, as IGs podem representar elementos importantes, tanto para a conservação do património tradicional como para a promoção da inovação sustentável. Assim, é importante manter e promover as IGs como fontes de desenvolvimento para regiões rurais estruturalmente fracas e, ao mesmo tempo, utilizar o seu potencial para contribuir para os Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável das Nações Unidas (Flinzberger et al, 2022).…”