A PDO product

What does PDO mean?

PDO (DOP in Italian) means Protected Designation of Origin (European Community Regulation No. 510/06).

A PDO product comes from a specific region or town, whose characteristics derive essentially or exclusively from its geographical and environmental origin. With the designation Protected Designation of Origin, products are recognised which are unequivocably linked to the geographical area which has given them their name and which conform to two specific conditions. Firstly, the production of the raw material and its transformation into a finished product must take place in the region which has given the product its name. Secondly, the quality and the characteristics of the product must derive from the geographical environment of the place of origin, that is from natural and man-made factors such as climate, terrain and local experience.

Parma Ham is a PDO product

An essential condition for Parma Ham is that the entire production process takes place in a very specific, small area in the province of Parma, up to 5km south of the Via Emilia and up to 900 metres high, bordered to the east by the River Enza and to the west by the River Stirone.  It is only here, that the King of Cured Meats can be produced.

The quality system

Established at European level and regulated in each country, the law specifies a complete quality control system for those traditional products produced in specific geographical areas and which are part of the culture and history of the region. Parma Ham is one of these products and there are precise rules on its production, the use of brands, and supervision, etc. The PDO ‘Parma Ham’ was registered with the European Community on 12th June 1996.