Rapport nr - SIFO

3 French Official Quality SignsThe creation of “AOC” in 1919 for wine was a means to point out the typicity of the different Frenchwines. The extension of this system and the opportunity to ask the AOC occurred in 1935 for cheese,such as the establishment of the INAO, National Institute for the labels of origin which has beengranted to all farming products since 1990. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery has contributed tothe emergence of a Community system for the protection of the quality products that was materializedby the setting up of the Protection of the Designation of Origin (PDO) in July 14th 1992, the Protectionof Geographical Indication (PGI), the Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (TSG) and also by theestablishment of an European regulation about the organic mode of production.On January 3rd 1994, a French law confirmed the principles which will allow the application of thisEuropean legislation: only the AOC can claim to be transformed in a PDO or AOP. The AOC indicatesa product originating in a determined place, whose characteristics are due exclusively to thisgeographical environment. The National Institute of the Labels of Origin (INAO), the public administrativeestablishment, proposes the recognition of the PDO and ensures the control and the approval ofthe products profiting of a PDO. PGI indicates a product originating in a specific area, as well as of itsquality, and a reputation or another characteristic perhaps allotted to its origin. The production and/ordevelopment takes place in a definite area. PDO and PGI privilege the link to time in the criteria ofattribution. To have this appellation, the product must have a reputation made by history. (Bérard &Marchenay 2004, p.59).The national label is indicated under the term "Label Rouge", of which the name and collective markis property of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery. The presence of the Label Rouge (created bythe Agricultural Regulation in 1960) attests that the product is of a higher quality and that this qualityis directly perceptible by the consumer.Label Rouge, PDO or PGI do not concern only food, but also all agricultural products like seeds orgrass, for example.