Spanish Ham varieties with European protection as regional products.
Infographic by Cati Gómez®.
Since 1992, the European Union has had a valuation and protection system that relates to the quality policy for agricultural products and foodstuffs. And of course also for the Spanish ham.
The purpose of the system is:
- Encourage the diversity of agricultural production;
- Protect product names against misuse and counterfeiting;
- To help consumers by providing information about the specific nature of products.
There are three types of European protection.
- Protected Designation of Origin (PDO): production, processing and preparation take place within a specific geographical area, according to a recognized and controlled method. This concerns, for example, hams made in a specific area, with pigs from a local breed of animal reared in the geographical area;
- Protected Geographical Indication (PGI): at least one of the production, processing or preparation stages can be attributed to the geographical origin. In some countries this is the case, for example, with hams and sausages that have a certain reputation and are prepared according to local methods within a defined geographical area.
- Guaranteed Traditional Specialty (GTS): does not refer to the origin, but to the traditional product composition or production method. This may, for example, involve certain ham or cheeses that are prepared in a traditional manner. There is no regional connection, so in fact this is not a regional product. GTS will therefore be ignored further.