What do ‘AOC’ and ‘IGP’ mean? |
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In French, AOC refers to Appellation d'origine contrôlée. In English, this is rendered as Protected Designation of Origin or PDO. IGP stands for Indication géographique protégée, which is Protected Geographical Indication, or PGI, in English.
The terms have their basis in EU law, and may only be applied to products with a very specific regional character after application to and acceptance by relevant regulatory bodies. An AOC or IGP attached to a product name is thus a guarantee that the product comes from the declared place of origin and has been produced according to the traditional methods of that place.
In the case of the AOC, the product will stem 100% from the place of origin. With the IGP, at least one step of production must take place in the place of origin since traditional, place-related know-how is what gives a product bearing the designation its identity.
In AOC and IGP products, an area’s typical characteristics, or ‘terroir’, are given expression through the use of artisanal means of production that are not harmful to the terroir. Only a very limited degree of industrialization is allowed.
Acquiring AOC status is slightly more difficult because every phase of production must take place within a specific geographical area, whereas for an IGP only one phase – e.g., processing raw ingredients – must take place within a defined area. AOC products are thus more strongly linked with terroir than IGP products.
(Source: www.aoc-igp.ch)
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