Protected Designation of Origin, Protected Geographical Indication : their significance for the growth of the food industries in France and Sweden

Abstract: Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) is a quality control system created by the European Union (EU) to protect integrity of certain food and drinks that are produced in a specific area in a unique way. By protecting these products, the EU can certify that the traditional region-specific methods of food and drink production are preserved. The EU countries that follow such a system are mostly from Southern Europe. For instance in France, the PDO system has helped improve the income for farmers, boosted the rural development and assured protection for farmers against the abuse of their brand and the selling of their products by outsiders. In Sweden, there are no PDO products yet, instead there is Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) and Traditional Speciality Guarantee (TSG) that are not as protective as PDO. However, there are many local products in Sweden that have a potential to be protected under the PDO system. The aim of this study is to find the reasons behind the absence of the PDO and to find possibilities to implement such a system in Sweden. The methods used are literature review, subject-specific websites and interviews that were carried out with two French companies following the system and two Swedish companies using PGI and TSG. Interviews with two scientists were also conducted to understand the cause of absence of PDO system in Sweden. This study showed that French companies are well aware of the PDO system, while knowledge of the PDO system is still poor among the Swedish companies. Furthermore, the Swedish government is yet to be convinced that the PDO system is for the benefit of the producers. Interestingly, EU rules concerning PDO do not seem to encourage the Swedish government to adopt the system all the way.