Food

Food labels and certifications: IGP, DOP and STG

Italia a forma di pizza che racchiude le sigle dei prodotti di qualità DOP IGT
Written by Annalisa

The importance of food labels IGP, DOP and STG as a guarantee of quality.

Have you ever read the food labels, without understanding what you were reading?

Or, even if you recognized the DOP and IGP acronyms written in the Menu of your favourite restaurants, you aren’t sure of their meaning.

It is important to read responsibly the food labels, to know where the products that you are buying and eating come from, to recognize its origin and quality.

Understanding the labels is easier than it seems!

Many times happened to be uncertain about what you serve in the dish and for this reason you bumped into numbers and acronyms written on the package of meat, cheese, etc…

Many products of the Italian cuisine stand for their place of origin, for their production tied with stories and traditions passed down through the years.

What IGP is?Le tre etichette alimentari di qualità italiani riconosciuti in europa DOP IGT SGT

IGP is the acronym of Identificazione Geografica Protetta (in English, Protected Geographical Indication). This means that at least one of the production phases happens in a recognized and guaranteed specific geographical area.
Geographical area means a region or country that is tied with the production of a certain food, recognizing the characteristics and peculiarities coming from it.

What does DOP mean?

DOP abbreviation stands for Denominazione di Origine Protetta (in English, Protected Designed of Origin – PDO). This means that you are in front of a kind of food that is strictly tied and it is typical of a territory. The characteristics and qualities of the product are essentially or exclusively tied to natural or human elements of a specific geographical area. Both if it is a region and a country, the whole production has to take place in that specific territory.

What does STG mean?

Less frequent but really important is the acronym STG that means Specialità Tradizionale Garantita (in English, Traditional Specialities Guaranteed). If you find these letters, keep in mind that you have just chosen a product characterised by qualitative and traditional elements. It refers to a production method typical and traditional of a specific geographical area.

It is important to know, to choose the best.

Italy achieved the first place for the number of DOP and IGP, overtaking the 20% of the total amount of EU.

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About the author

Annalisa