Food Safety, Production Modernisation and Origin Link under EU Quality Schemes. A case study on Food Safety and Production Modernisation role and their interference with the origin link of quality scheme cheese products originating from Greece, Italy and United Kingdom. Papadopoulou Maria September 2015-June 2017 Law and Governance Group (LAW) i | P a g e Acknowledgments First and foremost, I would like to thank my MSc thesis first supervisor, Dr. Mrs. Hanna Schebesta, for her valuable insights, support and understanding during the whole project, from the very first moment that I shyly delineated the idea for this project in my mind till the completion of the present paper one and a half years later. I would also like to express my grateful regards to my MSc thesis second supervisor, Dr. Mr. Dirk Roep, that it was under his course “Origin Food” in spring of 2015 that I first came up with the idea of writing for the interactions of food safety and origin foods and who corresponded so positively to my call to be my second supervisor and who supported me with his knowledge on origin foods and rural sociology, scientific fields unknown to me till recently. Many thanks to all colleagues of Law & Governance group of Wageningen University in 2015 that where happy and willing to discussed my concerns on the early steps of this project and that where present in both my Research proposal & Thesis presentation with their constructive remarks. Special thanks to MSc and PhD students of Law & Governance group in late 2015 that accompanied my research work in the Law & Governance group corridor in Leeuwenborgh building of Wageningen University. Finally, I would like to thank my family without whose financial support I would never had the opportunity to be part of the Wageningen UR family and dedicate a considerably long period of time in the completion of the present research project. Supervisors: dr. H (Hanna) Schebesta & dr.ir. D (Dirk) Roep LAW-80436 ECTS: 36 ii | P a g e “The reasons for the scarcity of enzymes in the milk can be sought in the greater cleanliness and hygiene of the various production stages (milking, transport of the milk, recipients and processing premises) and the use of metal or plastic recipients and utensils rather than wooden ones. Indeed, while these practices resolve problems of a hygiene/health variety, they also strip the milk of bacteria that aid cheese production by reducing the number of microorganisms in it.” Amendment Application of Bitto cheese iii | P a g e Abstract Geographical Indications (GIs) have been criticised as for their effectiveness to protect origin foods, promote rural development and guarantee a fair distribution of added value among the origin food valorisation actors. Food safety and production modernisation are elements identified to intervene in origin and traditional food production, altering products’ special character and creating barriers for small and artisan producers. The presence and the roles of these two elements in product specifications of PDO, PGI and TSG cheeses from Greece, Italy and United Kingdom are studied through content analysis of the available national and European relevant documents. The paper discusses the impact that food safety requirements and modern production methods have on protected under the EU law cheese products and their producers and comments on the marketing chances of EU GI cheese products in the US market and the protection that EU GI/TSG cheese products benefit from, under EU free trade agreements (TTIP & CETA). Results propose that food safety clauses dominate on the protection of the origin-specific character of the examined cheeses, while the relevant EU legal framework is implemented inconsistently. Modern methods and materials find their way in origin and traditional cheese making and compensate for the loss of significant natural substances in the milk and the abandon of traditional recipes. Keywords: Geographical Indication, origin food, cheese, food safety, hygiene, artisan iv | P a g e Summary Research Framework & Questions Origin products differentiate among their commercial counterparts for their special origin- derived character. Europe has been from the pioneers in designing Geographical Indications (GIs) and using GIs as rural development tools. However, GIs effectiveness to preserve the typicity of origin products and to guarantee a fair distribution of their added value for rural communities has been recently criticized. Criticism includes also existing but restricted research on the negative impact of food safety and production modernisation on origin products’ typicity and the unfair benefits-sharing among the relevant interested parties. This paper, presents a case study on the interactions of food safety and production modernization among the EU PDO, PGI and TSG cheese products and how the two elements impact products’ typicity and small and artisan producers’ inclusion in quality schemes. The research targeted in: • the presence of food safety topics and the modernisation in materials and production methods in cheese product specification documents • the challenges food safety and production modernisation bring for origin link of the protected origin products and the potential impact of these interactions for small and artisan producers’ participating into quality schemes • and finally, the protection of EU GI/TSG cheese products under EU free trade agreements (TTIP & CETA) Methods Origin products notion, cheese technology and safety and EU food law studied for the formatting of the content analysis project. In content analysis, the latest valid versions of product specification documents are analysed. This is the Product Specifications Content Analysis, while in a second part, the amended product specifications of the same product are examined comparatively for the monitoring of product specifications’ evolution through the years. This is the Comparative Analysis of Original and Amended Product Specifications. Product specifications of the EU quality scheme cheeses are available through DOOR database and national portals. The EU related legal framework consulted consists of the 3 successive regimes defining and regulating the attribution and certification of foodstuffs as PDO, PGI and TSG and the main pieces of EU food safety law, relevant to general safety and hygiene of foodstuffs but also to legal requirements for animal products and especially on milk and dairy products. The whole project has been conducted by using The Atlas.ti Qualitative Data Analysis software. Results & Discussion Documents of the same format present many differences among them and although product specifications have several obligatory sections to be filled, the provided information eventually varies from product to product. Studying products from different member states found that there is lack of a common understanding of product requirements like ‘microbiological characteristics’ and ‘proof of origin’ and of the term v | P a g e ‘natural inoculum’ and different perceptions on safety and origin link. Several food safety requirements are referred in product specifications with the latter presenting a varying level of adhesion to traditional cheese making methods. The increased hygiene, the use of inox and plastic equipment and milk sanitation brought technological aids (i.e. starter cultures and CaCl2) into GI/TSG cheeses to compensate for the naturally present (in milk) but lost substances which are important for cheese making. Origin link and traditional cheese making are sacrificed for extra food safety and guarantees of compliance with food safety legal requirements. Food safety and production modernization are the two sides of the same coin, with modern technologies introduced on the necessity to guarantee greater food safety and hygiene while on the other hand, food safety is said to be reassured due to the extensive use of modern technologies. The content analysis of the adopted amendments has further verified this situation, with modern production processes to be introduced in GI/TSG cheese making in the same time that restriction which protect products’ typicity are abolished. Recordings demonstrate also possible barriers for small and artisan producers’ participation in the quality schemes. Power dominance on quality schemes makes it hard for small and artisan producers to follow the GI/TSG certification although they have legitimate interest on the protected names. These actors, reproducing heritage and traditional knowledge, tend to be less involved in origin cheese production. While, approximately 56% of the examined cheese products could face marketing restrictions if exported to the US market and there is lack of proper protection under the free trade agreement between EU and US. The study is a product specific and its conclusions are applicable only for GI cheeses (as only cheese products among which only one TSG) and limited by the particularities of cheese safety and hygiene. Results are not quantified due to lack of uniformity of the used data set both in terms of format and input language. The used data sources are further restricted to legal documents and the lack of empirical input allows only for conclusions on possible scenarios as for the impact of the various safety requirements and production practices recorded on the origin products and the local actors involved in latter’s valorization circle. Finally, “tradition” is perceived here as a static notion and alterations of products’ typicity and traditionality are