Food quality is a fundamental focus of the new CAP which can help encourage the use of quality schemes such as Geographic Indications (GIs) or Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (TSGs). These have been shown to provide a fair return and competitive advantage for food producers.
An evaluation of GIs and TSGs published by the European Commission in December reports that these schemes provide benefits for the producers although not systematically in all Member States. Main limitations are the low consumer awareness and understanding in some Member States, however the schemes do provide a clear EU added value. GIs and TSGs were assessed to be efficient, with the various benefits for producers outweighing the costs of a detailed registration procedure, and low costs for public bodies (at EU and national levels) at an estimated 0.12% of the total sales value.
