Aarhus, Denmark
April 1, 2014
Does it matter if carrots or other foods come from a specific area? Photo: Janne Hansen
Does the taste, nutritional value or the perception of the quality of a commodity differ when you know it has come from a certain place? A new report from DCA – Danish Centre for Food and Agriculture provides an overview.
Does lamb from the Wadden Sea taste different from lambs that have grazed other pastures? How do carrots from Lammefjorden differ from other carrots from a different extraction?
The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration wanted to expand their knowledge on the importance of the geographic origin of food commodities and therefore asked scientists from Aarhus University to compile an overview of available scientific knowledge. This has resulted in a report published by DCA – Danish Centre for Food and Agriculture.
It turns out that very little knowledge is available of how local factors such as soil, climate and growing conditions affect the taste, nutritional value and other characteristics of the foods that we eat. This is regardless of the fact that the market for place-specific foods has grown in recent years. Knowledge of the importance of place of origin for wine is far greater.
Importance of food designations
For consumers, it is often important that food has a distinctive character that can be associated with a certain place of origin. For the manufacturer, it may also be important that the product can be branded utilizing local attributes. This was recognised as early as 1411, when the French parliament granted the appellation Roquefort to cheese from the area bearing that name.
Nowadays, a number of designations of origin have been approved by the EU. Particularly France, Italy, Portugal and Spain have taken a strong lead when it comes to awarding local food products one of the approved marks. These four countries are responsible for around 70 percent of the total number of designations of origin.
Denmark has so far been more hesitant. In 2001 we had just three designations of origin. On the other hand, interest is on the rise. Protected labels now apply to the Danablu and Esrom cheeses, to carrots, lamb and bullocks from the Wadden Sea area and to carrots from Lammefjorden, and more Danish designations of origin are being applied for.
Importance of location: Terroir
The significance of a geographical environment for the characteristics of the food commodity is known as terroir. The concept of terroir can be explained by the characteristics of a food commodity being determined by factors such as the geography, soil and climate of the location as well as culture – a sense of place. Place of origin may also play a role in consumer attitudes to and expectations for a product.
The report describes the concept of terroir on an interdisciplinary basis and gives an overview of what is actually known about the links between food quality (taste, texture, etc.) and local geographic, climatic and social conditions.
Aspects of terroir that may affect the food product are the direct effects of soil and climate and of the production methods and techniques used (e.g., fertilization or choice of crop or livestock breed).
- The terroir concept makes sense in relation to wine, where local attributes such as soil and topography are strongly reflected in the sensory quality of the wine, write the scientists behind the report. However, for other types of food there is little available knowledge on the impact that local or regional differences can have on the sensory quality of the foods.
Despite its small size, Denmark has a relatively diverse climate and soil conditions and there may be a potential for utilizing these terroir differences. Product promotions and a tradition for good local craftmanship may also help help terroir become an important factor in quality development. Marketing of local products with a designation of origin may further promote rural development, for example with place-specific foods being used in the tourism and hospitality industries or in other areas of the leisure industry.
- The relative paucity of research on anything other than wine means this is a promising field of research that ultimately could become an economically promising market, the scientists conclude.
Facts about the Protected Food Name Scheme
In the EU, there are two designations of origin under this scheme: Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) plus a mark of quality that guarantees traditional production or a customary name: Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG).
The protected food names are, among other things, based on the perception that the quality of a food is determined by factors such as geography, soil conditions and climate at the place of cultivation.
The survey was conducted at the behest of the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration as part of the agreement between Aarhus University and the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries on the provision of research-based policy support.
Read also the article "Labeling foods with protected designation of origin could have hidden potential".
The report (in Danish) ”Terroir - Oprindelse (autenticitet), oprindelsesstedets indflydelse på produkters kvalitet (terroir), samt branding, kvalitetsudvikling, regionale produkter og oprindelsesmærkning”, DCA report no. 37, February 2014 can be downloaded here.
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