Getting to Know PDO Cheeses

There’s a reason much of the food you eat in Europe is so delicious and memorable. A good portion of it is made in the same way it has been for generations, in the same place. When you’re shopping in your local specialty food shop in the States, you can see which imported products are made with that attention to detail by looking for PDO labels.

Here are the details:

What does PDO really signify? High quality and a guarantee from the European Union’s Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) system that the products bearing the label are “produced, processed and prepared within a particular geographical area, and with features and characteristics that must be due to the geographical area.” You may be more familiar with France’s AOC (appellation d’origine controlée) and the Italian and Spanish DO (denominazione di origine in Italy; denominacion de origen in Spain). The PDO label is the same thing, only broader as it applies to hundreds of products within the EU, from meats and cheeses to baked goods and olive oils.

Why buy PDO? The PDO labeling system aims to protect consumers from fraudulent claims of quality. It also helps you know your food is safe because every PDO product has to have a traceability system attached to it, and is closely monitored. It is the best way to guarantee that the product is the result of ancestral traditions and methods. But the PDO label is not the only path to success. There are certain producers who have chosen to decline the designation because they feel they are more distinctive without it.

Bottom line: Let your taste buds do the buying. -Janet Fletcher and Denise Shoukas