How are food Geographical Indications evolving? – An analysis of EU GI amendments

TLDR

Geographical Indications (GIs) enable producers to set common quality standards and highlight geographic origin, but these standards evolve in response to international competition, new technologies, and environmental change. This study analyzes EU Protected Designation of Origin–Protected Geographical Indication amendments, comparing amendment shares across product classes, years, and countries, illustrating case studies, and identifying factors that influence amendment probability. Using official DOOR database documents, the authors analyze specification changes, present data from four cheese case studies, and fit a logistic regression on all EU amendments. Amendments are common—17 % of 1,276 EU GIs have at least one change, occurring 42 % more often for processed products and up to six times more likely in Italy, Spain, and France, with modifications ranging from increased flexibility to stricter identity rules, underscoring that GIs are evolving institutions.

Abstract

Purpose The protection of Geographical Indications (GIs) supports producers to define common quality standards while highlighting the geographical origin of food products with specific qualities. Adaptations of quality standards are driven by international competition, new production technologies or environmental change. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the modifications affecting European Union (EU) Protected Designation of Origin-Protected Geographical Indication. It specifically compares the share of amendments in diverse product class, years and countries, illustrates specific cases and identifies the factors explaining the probability to amend product specifications. Design/methodology/approach Official documents of the DOOR Database provide the material for an analysis of changes in product specifications. They also supply the data for four illustrative cheese cases and a logistic regression of all EU amendments. Findings Amendments of GI product specifications are very frequent: 17 per cent of all 1,276 EU GIs had at least one amendment. This happens in particular for processed products (42 per cent more often than for unprocessed ones) and specific countries (GIs in Italy are six times, Spain five times and France four times more likely to have an amendment compared to GIs from other EU countries). As illustrated by contrasting cheese amendments, the diverse modifications in the product specifications range from more flexibility and innovation on the one hand to stricter rules for strengthening the product’s identity on the other hand. Originality/value For EU and national authorities, GI producers and scholars, this first systematic EU-wide analysis of amendments demonstrates that protected food GIs have to be conceptualised as evolving institutions and not as statically protected food production systems.