How can you recognise an PDO product?

The three details to look out for on the label

The label on an PDO product states:

• The official PDO logo, a round emblem in ‘red and gold’ bearing the words ‘Protected Designation of Origin’.
• The written text ‘PDO’ or ‘Protected Designation of Origin’ appearing immediately before or after the product name.
• The product name: this name is regulated and protected; it generally includes the name of a specific region or geographical location (e.g. ‘Bleu d’Auvergne’, ‘Riz de Camargue’).

Do not confuse PDO with the IGP

The PGI protects a geographical origin and reputation associated with a specific territory, whilst the PDO protects the full expression of the terroir, from field to mill, with more strictly regulated varieties and practices.

• PGI: geographical origin, link to reputation, technical specifications, partial territorial requirements.
• PDO: complete terroir, extraction and processing within the area, local expertise, identified varieties.

PDO and other details

Not all the labels on a bottle of olive oil or a jar of olives are created equal, and that is precisely where the problem lies. The PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) is an official mark of quality, governed by strict specifications and monitored by independent bodies: precise geographical origin, authorised olive varieties, production methods – everything is verified (much like a roadworthiness test, but for oil).

Conversely, terms such as ‘premium’ and ‘superior quality’ are often purely marketing ploys: whilst they look appealing on the label, they carry no legal guarantee and are not subject to any specific checks.

There’s nothing to stop a perfectly decent oil or olives from using such terms, but there’s also no guarantee that they actually deserve them. In short, an PDO has to prove itself; a promotional claim, on the other hand, is often content simply to sound good.

Origin: a detail that is by no means insignificant

When it comes to olive oil, it’s quite simple!

Unlike other foodstuffs where the origin remains optional, there is no room for approximation when it comes to olive oil: European regulations require this information to be stated on the label of all virgin and extra virgin olive oils sold within the EU, directly on the front of the container. It may be printed in small print, but it must be there.

However, you still need to know how to read it, as not all labels are created equal:

• ‘Origin’ + the name of an EU country: olives harvested and oil extracted in that same country.
• ‘Olive oil from France’ (or ‘Origin: France’): an oil that is 100 per cent French, from the olive tree to the mill.
• ‘Origin: EU’: a blend of oils from several European countries, with no further details.
• ‘Origin: EU and non-EU’: a blend of European oils and oils imported from third countries.

These labels provide information on the origin of the olives and the location where the oil was extracted, but none of them, on its own, guarantees a particular level of expertise or a sense of local identity. Only PDO goes a step further: beyond geographical origin, it certifies traditional olive varieties, specific production methods and a close link to a given terroir, all of which are monitored by an independent body. It is the only designation that transforms a simple indication of origin into a genuine guarantee of quality and authenticity.

And when it comes to olives, the regulations are different

Whilst olive oil is subject to specific labelling rules, table olives are a different story: indicating the origin is not always compulsory, which leaves consumers in the dark. For example, an olive ‘prepared in France’ has not necessarily been grown on French soil, unlike a jar bearing the ‘100% French Olive’ logo, where the olives have definitely been harvested and prepared in France.

Here again, the PDO settles the debate by providing solid guarantees: Nyons olives PDO or Nice olives PDO, to name but a few, benefit from this designation, which certifies not only the origin of the fruit, but also the specific varieties, traditional harvesting methods and preparation techniques unique to their region. In other words, given the relative flexibility surrounding the labelling of table olives, the PDO remains the most reliable benchmark for ensuring you are buying an authentic product.