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Appellations, safeguarding quality
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When producing enough food to feed the entire population was a challenge in itself, quality was a luxury reserved for the privileged few.
Today the main challenge facing agriculture and the food industry is the safeguarding of quality, and the market sets great store by values that extend and develop the classic concept of quality. |
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It's therefore not surprising that Italian and European laws relating to this have changed radically over the past twenty years, putting in place a complex and well-constructed system designed to safeguard and improve typical products, and much more. This has given rise to a mass of often-incomprehensible abbreviations ranging from those relating to procedures introduced to safeguard the quality of traditional products, namely (DOC, DOP, IGT and IGP) to others concerned with safety and hygiene (HACCP and QC). Here we set out to explain these key concepts, because along with the governing bodies that oversee on our behalf, they safeguard the quality of what we eat and drink day in and day out.
DOC (Denominazione di origine controllata - Controlled denomination of origin)
This was the first attestation of quality offered to consumers. Today the DOC label is awarded to Italian wines produced in defined geographical areas, the name of the area being specified, and having specific characteristics as laid down in wine producing regulations.
An example: Aglianico del Vulture
DOCG (Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita - Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination of Origin)
DOCG wines are recognized as being of superior quality and must have been in possession of the DOC attestation for at least five years. In addition they must enjoy significant national and international recognition. This is the maximum established level of quality today.
An example: Vermentino di Gallura
IGT (Indicazione geografica tipica - Typical Geographic Origin)
Igt is a quality appellation attributed to table wines characterized by generally large production areas and quite liberal production processes. The indication may be accompanied by other information such as the grape variety. Igt wines are the equivalent to French Vin de Pays and German Landwein.
An example: Fontanarossa di Cerda
DOP (Denominazione di origine protetta - Protected Denomination of Origin)
The DOP label is awarded to agricultural and food products having all phases of production carried out within a delimited geographical area following an officially approved production process, and whose properties are essentially derived from their geographical environment, inclusive of natural and human factors.
An example: Parmigiano Reggiano
IGP (Indicazione geografica protetta - Protected Geographical Origin)
The term Igp refers to the name of a region, specific place or, in exceptional cases, country which serves to identify an agricultural product or foodstuff derived from that geographical origin. In addition to a certain quality, the reputation or other characteristics of the product must derive from the geographical origin, and the production and/or transformation and /or processing must occur in the given geographical area.
An example: Pantelleria Capers
STG (Specialitą tradizionale garantita - Traditional Specialty Guaranteed)
The STG appellation is recognition of the specific nature of an agricultural or food product, either as an individual element or combination of elements which, for their quality characteristics and tradition, distinguish that product from other similar products. This therefore covers products made using traditional production techniques typical to a certain geographical area, safeguarding their traditional character. The appellation is not intended for products whose unique character is derived from their geographical origin.
An example: Traditional mozzarella
Having therefore examined the legal aspects pertaining to the quality and safeguarding of the characteristics of a product, let's turn to look at the abbreviations relating to methods established for controlling safety and hygiene.
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)
HACCP is a standardized procedure that has been established internationally in order to identify and manage the various steps in production processes during which a decrease in vigilance might lead to unacceptable health hazards; through this system, any critical points can be evaluated, analysed and resolved before a problem arises. Through a directive from the European Union, HACCP has been extended to all food sector operators, from large multinationals to every little ice-cream kiosk.
Quality Control (QC)
QC is a quality certification procedure promoted at local authority level, for example by Emilia Romagna regional council. Producers who wish to adhere to the project and produce, for example, QC eggs, must declare their compliance with procedures established by the local authority and submit to inspectors' visits.
And the list of abbreviations we run into each day does not end there, we could mention ISO norms (those which define standards), the concepts behind TQM (Total quality management), and various other certifications of European and world-wide validity. Acronyms which often leave us in varying states of perplexity, but which we ought to be more familiar with, since the quality of our diet is dependent also on them.
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