Origin-based labels boost local economies
Harvest of raspberries in SerbiaHigh-quality food products linked to their place of origin can boost local economies and promote sustainable development.
Those were the findings from a study, conducted by FAO and the EBRD, on the benefits of foods registered with a geographic indication, or GI. GIs are shorthand for quality, local heritage, authenticity and reputation. Consumers, faced with many choices, are often willing to pay a premium for such guarantees.
The global market for GIs stands at around EUR 50 billion. Drawing on FAO’s expertise in investment and sustainable food systems and with EBRD support, the two institutions are strengthening agrifood value chains in several countries by helping producers raise quality standards and develop quality and origin-based labels for their unique foods.
GIs for Serbia’s renowned Oblacina sour cherry and Arilje raspberry were several years in the making. FAO and the EBRD supported the Government, farmers, processors and other partners to take the necessary steps – from organizing training workshops and study tours, to developing specifications and registering GI management organizations. FAO and the EBRD also worked with the Serbian Government and partners to upgrade the country’s meat industry standards and create its first public voluntary quality label. Serbian meat producers can now register for the right to use the ‘Serbian quality’ label, giving their products an edge in the market.
With FAO and EBRD support, producers in Turkey’s Bursa region have developed GIs for their distinctive black figs and peaches, which should help protect the ‘Bursa brand’ from misuse. And producers in Georgia and Montenegro have developed GIs for various traditional products, among them Georgia’s Tushuri guda cheese and Montenegro’s dried beef Crnogorska Goveda prsuta.
Montenegrin and Georgian producers taking part in Slow Food’s Terra Madre Salone del Gusto in Turin, Italy, – a biennial global event bringing together thousands of small-scale producers and hundreds of thousands of visitors – learned how better to market their delicacies.