EN Official Journal of the European Union C 353/23

Publication of an application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2012/C 353/10

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘DÜSSELDORFER SENF’

EC No: DE-PGI-0005-0916-04.01.2012

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name:

‘Düsseldorfer Senf’

2. Member State or Third Country:

Germany

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1. Type of product:

Class 2.6. Mustard paste

3.2. Description of product to which the name in point 1 applies:

‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ is a ready-to-use paste for seasoning food. It has a delicate, creamy consistency and a pale yellow colour. A particular characteristic of ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ is its very hot taste, as no one who tries it can fail to notice. ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ is made using only natural ingredients. No preservatives, spices or flavourings are used to make ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’.

‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ has a shelf-life of only 10 months. This is in order to preserve its organoleptic properties.

When finished, ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ must display the following values:

— dry matter content: at least 22 %,

— fat content of the mustard: at least 8 %,

— pH value < 4,3,

— salt content of the end-product < 6 % by mass.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only):

The raw materials for ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ are brown mustard seeds, unfiltered spirit vinegar, the special lime and mineral rich water of Düsseldorf, and salt.

In order to maintain the high quality and freshness of ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’, its connection to the region, its organoleptic properties and its reputation, it is made using only water of Düsseldorf from the defined geographical area.

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only):

—

3.5. Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area:

All the production steps for ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’, i.e. washing, sieving and naturally drying the mustard seeds, mixing the ingredients in the maceration process, grinding, removing the husks, expelling any air, and maturation, must be carried out in the geographical area. This ensures its typical very hot taste and as a result its organoleptic properties, quality, regional origin, traceability and control throughout the entire production process.

3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.:

The product packaging process, including filling, packaging and labelling of tubes, must be carried out in the geographical area. This is necessary, as mustard is a perishable product which can easily become impaired during processing, since the temperature is monitored closely during maturation. The way in which the temperature is regulated and the storage period have a decisive influence on the sensory qualities of the final product. Only the specialist manufacturing staff (in-house mustard experts) have the experience to determine the best time to bottle the product so that all products are of consistently high quality. This is why this step in the production process, which is the key to the product's quality, must be carried out in the geographical area under the supervision of the manufacturers.

This ensures the typical very hot taste of ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ and as a result its organoleptic properties, quality, regional origin, traceability and control throughout the production process.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling:

The following labelling rules guarantee the origin and authenticity of ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ for both consumers and the inspectors who monitor the manufacturing process and guard against malpractice, and as a result ensure that the requirements of the ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ specification are met. They ensure uniform labelling and thereby guarantee the origin and traceability of ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’.

‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ must be labelled as:

— ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’,

— ‘Düsseldorfer Senf Scharf’,

— ‘Düsseldorfer Senf Extra Scharf’,

— ‘Düsseldorfer Senf Stark’, and/or

— ‘Düsseldorfer Senf Extra Scharf’

in all sales outlets.

Members of the Schutzgemeinschaft Düsseldorfer Senf (Association for the Protection of Düsseldorf Mustard) may use the following word/figurative mark of the Schutzgemeinschaft Düsseldorfer Senf (Association for the Protection of Düsseldorf Mustard) in Arial Regular font for the words ‘Senfspezialität aus Düsseldorf’ in the following variations:

— in colour in CMYK colour 12C 27M 56Y 0K (gold), in spot colour gold and/or in hot foil stamping gold for the anchor, the outline of the lion and the border of the logo, and/or

— in colour in CMYK colour 12C 27M 56Y 0K (gold), in spot colour gold and/or in hot foil stamping gold for the anchor, the lion and the border of the logo, and/or

— in black and white in CMYK colour 0C 0M 0Y 100K (black) for the anchor, the outline of the lion and the border of the logo, and/or

— in black and white in CMYK colour 0C 0M 0Y 100K (black) for the anchor, the lion and the border of the logo.

The background colour inside the logo is variable. The size of the logos can differ depending on the use. These labelling rules also apply to products in which ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ is the only component from the relevant product category used with other food and produce.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area:

The geographical area covers the city of Düsseldorf, the capital of one of the federal states. It is called ‘Düsseldorf’.

5. Link with the geographical area:

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area:

‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ was invented in the geographical area. The geographical area is marked by the long production tradition of the Düsseldorf mustard industry. The production process, which has long been practised in the geographical area, differs from that traditionally used in other parts of Germany in that the husks of the mustard seeds are removed.

The special water extraction process practised in Düsseldorf, a city located on the banks of the Rhine, is different from that which must be employed further away from a major river. The wells in Düsseldorf's waterworks, which are situated along the banks of the Rhine, supply raw water consisting largely of bank filtrate but also containing groundwater from the land. The bank filtrate seeps into the ground at the centre of the riverbed. It flows slowly through the layers of sand and gravel, which are 30 m thick in places, towards the wells located close to the banks. This journey takes several weeks, during which the water is naturally purified several times: gravel and sand act as a mechanical filter, trapping turbid matter and pollutants. Tiny organisms found in the soil also purify the water. The geographical area is also very different from neighbouring areas due to the ingredients that characterise the taste and in particular the minerals that are found in the high lime content of Düsseldorf water.

5.2. Specificity of the product:

Unlike other traditionally produced German mustards, ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ does not usually contain any pieces of husk. Only the kernels are processed. This production process is the reason for the very hot taste, a particular characteristic of ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ which no one who tries it can fail to notice.

The organoleptic properties are the reason ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ is renowned the world over as a regional speciality. Its good reputation can also be said to have become a property of ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ as a result of its taste, quality and particular characteristics.

5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI):

Historical context/history

‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ is a speciality food product with a very long historical and regional tradition that was developed in Düsseldorf. The history of the mustard industry in Düsseldorf is testimony to this. The first German mustard factory was founded in Düsseldorf in 1726. In 1896, there were eight mustard factories in Düsseldorf. As early as 1826 trade news, travel literature and town descriptions spoke of the Düsseldorf mustard industry. Then, in 1920, a new mustard era dawned in Düsseldorf. The businessman Otto Frenzel from Lorraine set up his mustard factory in Düsseldorf at the end of 1920. There he produced a very hot mustard, the first ever to be light in colour, which he named ‘Löwensenf’ and marketed with the logo of a lion's head in tribute to the city's coat of arms. A light mustard of this type was without precedent in Germany. Its strength and distinctive spices soon made ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ famous. Frenzel's success was due to the purity requirements for ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’, according to which only the finest ingredients should be used and all products should be meticulously prepared using no extraneous additives.

In 1930, the Düsseldorf mustard factories started producing the medium hot ‘Düsseldorfer Tafelsenf’. Consumers in Germany and abroad soon learned to appreciate this milder, moderately spicy, yellowy green Düsseldorf mustard speciality with its attractive sheen.

In 1938, the Düsseldorf mustard industry started exporting ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ to other European countries, the USA, Canada, South America, Africa, Japan and Australia.

Natural link/Environmental conditions

‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ displays a natural link between its geographical area and its organoleptic properties. The Düsseldorf water used, the main ingredient in ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’, is taken from the Rhine. The water passes through the banks of the river, with their layers of sand and gravel that are 30 m thick in places, and is therefore particularly limy and as a result mineral rich. The high lime content and resulting high mineral content of Düsseldorf water have in turn left their mark on the particular taste of ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’. The unfiltered spirit vinegar also affects the taste of ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’.

Current link/Reputation

To this day ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ enjoys a good reputation as a regional speciality well known to consumers in and beyond the local region. Numerous consumer reactions bear witness to its renown. For consumers, ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ now has an established market position.

Its reputation is based in particular on the long history of the production of ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ in Düsseldorf and its organoleptic properties. Düsseldorf is frequently described as the mustard city because of the long and illustrious history of its mustard industry.

Düsseldorf's mustard specialities are held in such high regard that one of the city's museums has been devoted to them. Numerous photographs of mustard produced by the city's industry and various books and press reports document the high regard in which the product has always been held.

‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ is part of Düsseldorf's history and traditional cuisine. The classic ‘Düsseldorfer Senfrostbraten’, an entrecôte smeared with Düsseldorf mustard and then placed under a grill, can for example be found on the menus of the breweries in the ‘Düsseldorfer Altstadt’. The Rhineland sandwich, a ‘Röggelchen’ bread roll with a slice of cheese and Düsseldorf mustard, is also part of Düsseldorf cuisine.

Economic link/Significance

‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ remains very important for Düsseldorf's economy. The great popularity of ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ is clearly reflected in its excellent sales figures in food retail outlets, butcher's shops and restaurants in the geographical area, Germany and the rest of the world. It is estimated that some 3 760 tonnes of ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ are produced in the Düsseldorf geographical area each year.

Production-related link/Organoleptic quality

For almost 90 years regional producers in Düsseldorf have been producing ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ using the production process that was invented in the city. It is the knowledge, expertise and experience that they have passed on from generation to generation that give ‘Düsseldorfer Senf’ its geographically determined, organoleptic properties.

Reference to publication of the specification:

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

Markenblatt Vol. 27 of 8 July 2011, Part 7c, p. 13525

http://register.dpma.de/DPMAregister/geo/detail.pdfdownload/28500

(1) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.