The European Commission has approved the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) “Olio di Puglia,” which was published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
The PGI is reserved for the extra virgin olive oil produced in the administrative territory of the Puglia region, obtained from olives of the varieties Cellina di Nardò, Cima di Bitonto (or Ogliarola Barese, or Ogliarola Garganica), Cima di Melfi, Frantoio, Ogliarola salentina (or Cima di Mola), Coratina, Favolosa (or Fs-17), Leccino, and Peranzana.
The approved varieties can be used alone or in blends in which they constitute no less than 70 percent with other Italian varieties.
“This is an important recognition for Apulian olive growers and Italian agriculture,” the president of the association for the protection and valorization of IGP Olio di Puglia, Pantaleo Piccinno, told Olive Oil Times.
“It is a success in terms of territoriality, as we have managed to ensure that all production phases, including bottling, must take place in our region,” he said. “This product is characterized by excellent health properties, given by a high content of polyphenols, as well as freshness, since only the olive oil produced in the current crop year can be labeled as IGP Olio di Puglia.”
These points can be translated into marketing elements but, above all, provide an incentive for Apulian farmers, Piccinno said.
The PGI was made possible thanks to the work by the members of the scientific committee.
“Special thanks go to Maria Lisa Clodoveo, Bernardo De Gennaro, Salvatore Camposeo, and Maurizio Servili, for having given strength and structure to the arguments we have submitted to Brussels, and to Fabrizio De Castro and Pietro Spagnoletti for their valuable work in preparing the production specification,” Piccinno said.
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