Certificates
Italy is the European country with the largest number of agri-food products with designations of origin and geographical indications recognised by the European Union, with 319 PGI, PDO and TSG branded products. These designations are of fundamental importance as they protect the territory, the environment, traditional products, and Italian workers.
PGI
Protected Geographical Indication safeguards the production techniques of a given product, while placing less focus on territorial constraints. The acronym identifies a product originating from a region and a country of which at least one stage of production, processing and preparation takes place in the defined area. An example of a PGI product is Mortadella Bologna.
PDO
On the other hand, Protected Designation of Origin refers to a product originating from a region and a country whose qualities and characteristics are necessarily linked to the geographical environment. In this case, all production, processing and preparation of the product must take place in the defined area. An example of a PDO product is Parmigiano Reggiano, whose production, sourcing of raw materials and processing take place within the five provinces of Reggio Emilia, Parma, Modena, Mantova and Bologna.
TSG
In this case, we are talking about Traditional Specialities Guaranteed, that is, a mark of origin that aims to protect agricultural and food products that have a 'specificity' linked to the production method or composition linked to the tradition of an area, but that are not necessarily produced only in that area. An example of a TSG product is Mozzarella, or Pizza Napoletana or traditional Amatriciana.
These certifications are not only aimed at safeguarding the environment and biodiversity, but are also a guarantee of traceability and food safety for consumers, who increasingly look for the Italian brand, even when abroad. These measures are also becoming increasingly necessary as, thanks to the continued success of 'Made in Italy' products globally, there are many companies imitating Italian products to increase their sales, as the 'Made in Italy' brand is a symbol of quality, goodness and uniqueness.