Protected Designations Of OriginIn 1992, the European Union adopted a system for recognizing, regulating, guaranteeing and protecting culturally important food products, based on classifications already established in member countries. This EU classification - PDO - is granted to food products whose flavour characteristics are due exclusively to the terroir of a particular geographical area, and cannot be successfully reproduced elsewhere. These certified products earn the right to carry the PDO seal on their labels to alert customers to the special nature of their product. Today, more than 500 foods from categories such as cheese, meats, cereals, fruits, vegetables, fish, grains, nuts, and confections have had their names and entities safeguarded and protected by law.
In the USA, the California Olive Oil Council has instituted a seal for those California olive oils that meet strict criteria based on standards of the International Olive Oil Council in Madrid, Spain. This COOC seal guarantees that the oil in the bottle has passed the test for extra virgin classification, and that the oil was pressed from olives grown in California.
Within olive oil producing regions, are the products that wear these certification seals better than other oils from the same region without the seal? Not necessarily, but as all the producers in a given area know what each other is doing, it does ensure honesty and establishes a traceable origin of the product for the consumer. As all oils must pass a test for certification each year, the application of these seals encourages producers to aim for the highest standards, and allows them to be recognized for producing a well crafted, superior product.
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