|
Products with a registered designation of origin (AOC) or a protected geographical designation (IGP) are firmly rooted in their region of origin, and are made using traditional craft methods. The landscape, the climate, the customs and the people themselves define the character of these specialities. AOC and IGP labels are an undertaking made to the consumers that only high-grade raw materials are used in their production. Moreover, a strict list of specifications, and regular inspection by an independent body of the farmers and also the processors such as the butchers and cheese-makers, guarantee the very highest quality. The AOC label is a guarantee that all the stages in the making of the speciality, from the basic product to its processing and refining, have taken place in the region of origin. However, a product with the IGP label need only to have undergone one stage of processing in its region of origin. Both labels enjoy equal protection under Swiss law. At the present time 28 products carry this federal label of quality in Switzerland.
|