Key figures: PDO in Europe

The history of ‘quality’ labels in Europe

Geographical indications in Europe: a major economic sector

The European Union currently protects products with the designations PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) and TSG (Traditional Speciality Guaranteed).

This wealth is distributed across:

• 1,596 foodstuffs,
• 1,638 wines (including 1,194 PDO wines and 444 IGP wines)
• and 250 spirits, reflecting the diversity of European terroirs and expertise.

Economically speaking, products with a geographical indication play a significant role in the European agricultural economy.

In 2017, their total turnover reached 77.1 billion euros (74.8 billion excluding TSG), an increase of 42 per cent since 2010.

Wines dominate this market, accounting for 51 per cent of the value generated (€39.4 billion), followed by agricultural and food products (35 per cent, or €27.3 billion) and spirits (13 per cent, or €10.3 billion). Flavoured wines round off this picture with €43 million.

Internationally, these labelled products generate €32.1 billion in exports, representing 42 per cent of their total turnover — proof of the influence of European geographical indications beyond the EU’s borders.

Among the Member States:

• France ranks first with a turnover of 26.8 billion euros (72 per cent from wines, 15 per cent from agricultural and food products, and 13 per cent from spirits),
• followed by Italy (€15.8 billion, of which 55 per cent is from wines and 44 per cent from agri-food products), 
• Germany (€8.7 billion),
• and Spain (€6.2 billion).

The importance of geographical indications in the European agri-food sector

Whilst products with a geographical indication still account for a modest share of the European agri-food sector as a whole, their contribution remains significant. 

In 2017, GIs and TSGs accounted for 7 per cent of the total turnover of the EU food and drink sector, estimated at 1,101 billion euros.

This share varies considerably depending on the categories of agricultural and food products covered by GIs. Cheeses are by far the leading category, accounting for more than a third of the total value generated by labelled agricultural products — a figure that confirms the strength of European cheese designations (Parmigiano Reggiano, Comté, Feta, etc.).

Next come fresh meats with GI status, accounting for 12 per cent of the value, followed by fruit, vegetables and cereals, at 8 per cent.

GI-protected oils and fats — including PDO olive oil — account for a more modest share, representing around 2 per cent of the value of labelled agricultural products, which illustrates significant room for growth in this sector given its wealth of designations.

Focus on Italy: the economy of PDO and IGP

897 foodstuffs, wines and spirits classified as PDO or PGI

€20.7 billion in turnover, of which €12.3 billion is from exports

183,823 producers

864,441 hectares with GI (Geographical Indication) status

The economic impact of PDO in Europe

Among the various geographical indications, the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) occupies a prominent place in the European agri-food sector.

In 2017, agricultural and food products bearing the PDO label generated a turnover of 10.3 billion euros, up 15 per cent since 2010, a growth rate that demonstrates the label’s enduring appeal to both producers and consumers.

PDO products thus account for 38 per cent of the total value of sales of agricultural and food products with a geographical indication, confirming their role as a driving force amongst all European quality labels.

France is a perfect illustration of this dynamism: in 2017, agricultural PDO products generated €2.17 billion there, whilst wine products under PDO achieved a turnover of 16.84 billion euros — a gap that highlights the wine sector’s dominant role in the French economy of protected designations of origin.

The PDO in Europe: some key figures