PDO and PGI also change: 70 products have changed specifications in four years

PDO and PGI products are also changing. In the last four years, in Italy alone more than 70 have applied to the EU for a change, either temporary or ordinary, of their production specifications. A trend that has united all realities, from productions with large numbers (such as Prosciutto di Parma PDO and Mela dell'Alto Adige PGI) to niche specialities (such as Roccaverano PDO and Olio Cartoceto PDO).

'There is no food product that has not continually evolved to keep up with the times, and even PDO and PGI products have done so, pandering to the demands of the territory and the market. And in doing so, over the last ten years, they have made a considerable leap forward in terms of quality and safety,' explains Mauro Rosati, director of Origin Italia, the Italian association that brings together the consortia of geographical indications.

So not even the standard-bearers of tradition and typicality can escape the structural changes in the agri-food world, the evolution of technology and the new demands of distributors and consumers.
There are those who change to raise the bar of quality, like the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI that has introduced the Riserva type for products aged over 5 years, or like the Culatello di Zibello PDO that has raised the maximum weight allowed for branding and extended the maturing period to 195 days.
And those who have introduced production changes for safety reasons, such as Puzzone di Moena and Fontina, which have switched from using raw milk to thermised milk to reduce the risk of Escherichia coli and Blue tongue. But there are also those who have innovated to combat waste, such as the Toma Piemontese DOP which, to avoid processing waste in cheeses destined to be cubed or grated, has also admitted production in a form other than the typical cylindrical one.

And then there are the changes to production specifications dictated by the effects of climate change. These range from changes in the calendar allowed for harvesting olives or fruit to changes in livestock feeding, especially for those reared in the mountains.
In fact, with the reduction in forage areas and the increased presence of wolves, it is becoming increasingly difficult to leave animals out to pasture. A semi-fixed housing is preferable, but this requires a greater use of locally sourced preserved hay. This is why several PDO cheese protection consortia, such as Piave, Murazzano and Quartirolo Lombardo, have changed the rules on cattle feeding by increasing the amount of dry fodder allowed in the daily ration.

In some cases, these changes to the specifications registered in Brussels are temporary. In other cases, however, these documents have been revised on a stable basis, in the wake of the realisation that certain phenomena are acquiring a stable character and do not seem destined to be resolved in the years to come.
In any case, intervening in specifications is not easy. Changes are decided democratically, involving the supply chain, and must be based on scientific references and appropriate market data. A complexity that, on the one hand, has consolidated local economies by sheltering them from risky choices. But, on the other, it has often slowed down the bureaucratic process, which involvesregions, government and the European Commission.