Publication of an amendment application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs
Date: 2016-11-01
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Germany, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, pasta, product designation, quality control of agricultural products








C_2016403EN.01002001.xml










1.11.2016   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 403/20





Publication of an amendment application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs
(2016/C 403/10)
This publication confers the right to oppose the amendment application, pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 (1).
APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF NON-MINOR AMENDMENTS TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION FOR A PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN/PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION

Application for approval of an amendment in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012


‘SCHWÄBISCHE SPÄTZLE’/‘SCHWÄBISCHE KNÖPFLE’


EU No: DE-PGI-0105-01384 — 12.10.2015


PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

1.   Applicant group and legitimate interest

Schutzgemeinschaft Schwäbische Spätzle







Address


:







Dottingerstraße 69




72525 Münsingen




DEUTSCHLAND








Legitimate interest:
The applicant is the same as the original applicant. The Schutzgemeinschaft Schwäbische Spätzle is an association of producers and processors of the product in question.
2.   Member State or Third Country

Germany
3.   Headings in the product specification affected by the amendment(s)








—


☐


Name of product




—


☒


Description of product




—


☐


Geographical area




—


☐


Proof of origin




—


☒


Method of production




—


☒


Link with the geographical area




—


☐


Labelling




—


☐


Other [to be specified]




4.   Type of amendment(s)








—


☒


Amendment to product specification of a registered PDO or PGI not to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012




—


☐


Amendment to product specification of registered PDO or PGI for which a Single Document (or equivalent) has not been published not to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012




5.   Amendment(s)

(b)   Description









(1)


In the first sentence, the following is added after ‘…egg-based pasta product made from fresh eggs’: ‘(dried pasta product) or whole egg and/or fresh eggs (fresh pasta product)’.












(2)


At the end of the first paragraph, the following sentences are inserted which were previously in section (e) Method of production:
‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ are sold directly for consumption as fresh pasta products or in pasteurised and/or chilled or deep-frozen form. Furthermore, ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ are also sold as dried pasta products well suited for storage.












(3)


In the paragraph entitled ‘Composition’:






—


In the first sentence, the following is added after ‘…meal, fresh eggs’: ‘(dried “Schwäbische Spätzle”/“Schwäbische Knöpfle”) or whole egg and/or fresh eggs (fresh “Schwäbische Spätzle”/“Schwäbische Knöpfle”)’.










—


The following sentence is added to the end of the paragraph:
Cooking oil with no effect on the taste or colour of the product may optionally be added to fresh ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’.
















(4)


In the paragraph entitled ‘Characteristic features’:






—


The details concerning the ‘Quality of eggs’ are replaced with the following:

‘Quality of eggs for dried “Schwäbische Spätzle”/“Schwäbische Knöpfle”: fresh eggs in accordance with the normal rules for pasta.
Quality of eggs for fresh “Schwäbische Spätzle”/“Schwäbische Knöpfle”: whole egg and/or fresh eggs in accordance with the normal rules for pasta.’











—


After ‘Quality of meal’, ‘…or spelt meal’ is replaced by: ‘and/or spelt meal’.










—


After ‘Quality of meal for fresh Spätzle’, ‘wheat meal or spelt meal’ is replaced by: ‘wheat meal and/or spelt meal’.










—


The following is added to the end of the paragraph:

‘Cooking oil with no effect on taste or colour: optional for adding oil to fresh “Schwäbische Spätzle”/“Schwäbische Knöpfle”’.









Justification:








(1)


Replacing ‘fresh eggs’ with ‘whole egg’ for fresh ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’
Although many producers of dried pasta products break the hens’ eggs themselves and use them as fresh egg shortly thereafter, it is uncommon for producers of fresh pasta products to do so, other than in catering or small craft businesses.
As unpasteurised egg matter is highly susceptible to microbial spoilage, there is a significant risk that the raw material and consequently the end product will be adversely affected, particularly for producers of fresh pasta products. For this reason they use pasteurised whole egg from recognised suppliers.
Suppliers must be approved under EU veterinary and foodstuffs legislation and the raw goods (shell eggs) and end products must undergo a number of routine inspections. Raw goods’ inspections include a regular comprehensive product entry check covering storage conditions, air chamber dimensions and harmful substance tests carried out by accredited external laboratories. Following pasteurisation, additional batch-based physico-chemical and microbiological tests are carried out, ensuring that the products supplied are very safe in terms of their freshness, shelf-life and consistency of ingredients. In particular, identifying organic acids (lactic acid, beta-Hydroxybutyric acid, succinic acid) is a good indicator of freshness.
Fresh eggs in accordance with the normal rules for pasta may also be sourced from authorised establishments if the pasteurised egg products are delivered to pasta producers within 24 hours and processed shortly thereafter.
However, applying this to operational processes, in particular after weekends and public holidays, can be difficult for producers of fresh pasta products.
Nevertheless, the normal rules for pasta do not contain any rules on how old eggs may be, only on the time between breaking the eggs and processing them.
However, the age of the eggs in conjunction with how they were stored prior to being broken is crucial to their quality. Nevertheless, this factor is not addressed in the rules. There is no question that whole egg and fresh eggs may only be sourced from grade A eggs. Pasteurised whole egg, which is used in the production of fresh egg-based pasta products, may be stored for a maximum of 14 days after the date of laying. Fresh eggs may not deviate from the indicated storage period.
In the light of the above, the use of whole egg in the production of fresh ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ meets production safety requirements and is at least equivalent to the use of fresh eggs, with no adverse effects on the quality of the end product.












(2)


In terms of subject matter, the description of the various ways in which fresh and dried ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ pasta products may be sold belongs to section (b) of the specification and has therefore been moved from section (e) to this section.












(3)


Cooking oil as an optional ingredient
Once produced, fresh pasta products are not dried or part-dried. As they contain more water than dried pasta products, they can easily stick together. In order to avoid this from happening, cooking oil must be added. This ensures that the fresh pasta products retain their consistency and shape, improving the quality of the product when prepared for final consumption. Removing the pasta products from their packaging and heating them is easy.
Using cooking oil which has no effect on the taste or colour of the product guarantees that the taste and colour of ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ do not change.
In the catering sector and in household cooking it is common practice to add oil when preparing and storing pasta products. When preparing dried pasta products, a small amount of oil is generally added to cooking water as an additional means of preventing the pasta from sticking together.
The addition of cooking oil to fresh ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ therefore corresponds to technological requirements and has no adverse effect on the quality and characteristics of the product.












(4)


Changing ‘or spelt meal’ to ‘and/or spelt meal’ firstly corrects an obvious mistake and secondly clarifies the tradition amongst producers whereby wheat meal and spelt meal may be used together.
For the same reason, ‘wheat meal or spelt meal’ is also changed to ‘wheat meal and/or spelt meal’.




(e)   Production method

At the end of this section, the phrase ‘in the case of the fresh pasta product, the product is cooled, if necessary, pasteurised and then cooled to 2-7 °C’ is amended as follows:

‘in the case of the fresh pasta product, the product is pasteurised, if necessary, and then cooled to 2– 7 °C or frozen.’

Justification:
This is a drafting change. Furthermore, for the purposes of clarity, it is also added that the fresh pasta products may be frozen. It is already stated in section (b) Description that ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ may be sold as a frozen product.
(f)   Link with the geographical area

Specificity of the product:
In the first sentence, the following is added after ‘…egg-based pasta product made from fresh eggs’: ‘(dried pasta product) or whole egg and/or fresh eggs (fresh pasta product)’.
Justification:
See justification for replacing ‘fresh eggs’ with ‘whole egg’ for fresh ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’, under section (b) Description.
SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘SCHWÄBISCHE SPÄTZLE’/‘SCHWÄBISCHE KNÖPFLE’


EU No: DE-PGI-0105-01384 — 12.10.2015


PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

1.   Name(s)

‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’
2.   Member State or Third Country

Germany
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 2.5 Pasta
3.2.   Description of product to which the name in 1 applies

‘Schwäbische Spätzle’, also known as ‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’, is an egg-based pasta product made from fresh eggs (dried pasta product) or whole egg and/or fresh eggs (fresh pasta product) in a home-made style. The product is irregular in shape and has a rough, porous surface. The dough is placed straight into boiling water/steam. In everyday language usage, the two names refer to the same product made from the same dough and are interchangeable. The egg-based pasta product may be thick or thin and long or short. There is no clear distinction between the way the two names are used and usage varies from one region to another.
‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ are sold directly for consumption as fresh pasta products or in pasteurised and/or chilled or deep-frozen form. Furthermore, ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ are also sold as dried pasta products well suited for storage.
Characteristic features:

Colour/appearance: natural, golden yellow to light yellow.

Shape: pasta product with an irregular shape; rough and porous surface; home-made style; the shape varies from thick to thin and from long to short.

Consistency/texture: firm to the bite, can be boiled/not sticky, with a rough surface.

Quality of eggs for ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ (dried pasta product): fresh eggs in accordance with the normal rules for pasta.

Quality of eggs for ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ (fresh pasta product): whole egg and/or fresh eggs in accordance with the normal rules for pasta.
Egg content per kilogram of meal/flour:

‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ (dried pasta product): at least 2 eggs per kilogram of meal, normally 4 or 6 eggs are added per kilogram of meal;

‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ (fresh pasta product): at least 8 eggs per kilogram of meal and flour.

Quality of meal: durum wheat meal and/or spelt meal.

Quality of meal for fresh ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’: wheat meal and/or spelt meal.

Quality of water: fresh potable water.

Salt: optional, max. 1 %.

Spices, herbs, spinach: optional.

Citric acid: optional in the case of fresh ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’.

Cooking oil with no effect on taste or colour: optional in the case of fresh ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’.
3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

The ingredients used to make ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ are meal, fresh eggs (dried pasta product) or whole egg and/or fresh eggs (fresh pasta product) and potable water. Salt (max. 1 %), spices, herbs and spinach may be added. For fresh ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’, citric acid may be added and flour can be used fully or partly instead of meal. Cooking oil with no effect on the taste or colour of the product may optionally be added to fresh ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’.
3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

To guarantee the authenticity of this traditional product, which is typical of its region, and to ensure a consistently high quality, ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ must be produced in the defined geographical area. The production stages for the fresh and dried pasta products are the same up to the points of cooling and drying. ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ are traditionally made by hand; machine production of ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ did not start until the beginning of the 20th century. The ingredients are mixed and the dough is kneaded until it achieves consistency. Since the introduction of kneading machines, this process has largely been mechanised. The dough is shaped and put into boiling water or steam. The consistency of the dough and the right cooking time and temperature require an instinctive feel and experience which are difficult to standardise. The producers’ craft skills and regional expertise with regard to processing play a special part in this process. In the case of the dried pasta product, the ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ produced are pre-dried and then dried; in the case of the fresh pasta product, the product is pasteurised, if necessary, and then cooled to 2-7 °C or frozen.
3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

—
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

—
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area of Swabia is made up of all of Baden-Württemberg and all of the region of Swabia in Bavaria.
5.   Link with the geographical area


Specificity of the geographical area

‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ have been produced in the geographical area for centuries and play a very important part in Swabian cooking. The producers’ craft skills and regional expertise with regard to processing play a special part in this process. Traditionally, the ‘Spätzle’ dough is hand-cut and, even today, hand-cutting of the dough from a board is regarded as a special symbol of its quality. The production of ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ by machine in a home-made style, i.e. as if the dough were hand-cut, started at the beginning of the 20th century for economic reasons. The first patents based on practical experience were registered (see, for example, Deutsches Reichpatent 471046) to maintain the authenticity and home-made character of ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’. Several exhibitions contain records tracing the traditional skills used in Swabia to make the product dating from earliest times to the present day (see ‘Spätzle und Knöpfle — Geschichte(n) rund um das Leibgericht der Schwaben’, especially: Alte Zeiten, Ofterdingen; ‘Spätzle – Schaben, pressen, hobeln’, Freilichtmuseum Beuren). Numerous cookery competitions and several world records in cutting the ‘Spätzle’ dough underline the specificity of the geographical area in connection with the human factors. The local expertise in making the dough has been handed down from generation to generation and plays a significant part in the product’s subsequent characteristics. The tradition of making ‘Spätzle’ can be traced back to the 18th century. In 1725, Rosino Lentilio, a councillor and personal physician from Württemberg, concluded that ‘Knöpflein’ and ‘Spazen’ were ‘all things that are made from flour’. Spelt was grown widely in the Swabian-Alemannic area at the time. The cereal grows on poor soils and was very popular in the region, which was home to small farmers and characterised by poverty. As spelt flour contains high levels of gluten protein and the dough could therefore be made in times of hardship without the need for eggs, ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ were mainly made from spelt. The product achieved fame in the Münsinger Alb upland area. As industrialisation began and prosperity increased, ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ went from being an ordinary, everyday food item to a culinary speciality eaten on feast days. In a description of a Swabian farmers’ village written in 1937, ‘Spätzle’ are described as a festive food. The year before, the local poet Sebastian Blau called ‘Spätzle’ the symbol of Swabian regional identity: ‘…“Spätzle” are the foundation of our cuisine, our country’s fame, etc., the Alpha and the Omega of a Swabian menu, etc.’. In places less favoured by nature within the geographical area, the traditional, regional methods of making ‘Spätzle’ together with the highly developed craft skills enabled a high-value product to be made. Today in Swabia, ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ are produced by nearly all makers of pasta products and used by nearly all restaurateurs. Since the 1980s, exports of the product have also been a success. For the people living in the geographical area, the product has become a symbol of identity. The great importance of ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ in Swabian cooking can be seen, inter alia, from the novel, first published in 1827, entitled ‘Die Geschichte von den Sieben Schwaben’, according to which the custom in Swabia is ‘to eat five times a day, five times soup, twice with “Knöpfle” or “Spätzle”’. In 1892, Elise Henle wrote that it was the proper thing for a woman in Swabia to know how to cook ‘Spätzle’: ‘She’s not a proper Swabian girl if she can’t cook “Spätzle”’. More recently, the Swabian author Siegfried Ruoss lists more than 50 different recipes from Swabia using ‘Spätzle’ in his cookbook ‘Schwäbische Spätzleküche’.

Specificity of the product

Unlike other pasta products, ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ is an egg-based pasta product made from fresh eggs (dried pasta product) or whole egg and/or fresh eggs (fresh pasta product) in a home-made style. The product is irregular in shape and has a rough, porous surface. The dough is placed straight into boiling water/steam. It can be thin or thick, long or short. It is the only pasta product boiled for the first time during the course of its production. The moist dough is either pressed through perforated sheets or it drops through these sheets and into a hot water container. If appropriate, the dough is cut during this process.

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)

The causal link between the special features of ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ and the geographical origin is attributable to the special regard in which the products are held in view of their origin. The products are pasta specialities which look back over a long tradition; they are emblematic of Swabia and in particular are well-known and held in high regard both within the region and beyond. This is confirmed by most of the comments received by the national authority and from a consumer survey carried out in 2002.
Secondly, numerous references in literature, press articles and regional cookery books confirm the fundamental importance of ‘Spätzle’ and ‘Knöpfle’ to Swabian cooking and the high regard in which the products are held as the ‘Swabian national dish’.
In Swabia today, ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ appear in the product lists of nearly all makers of pasta products and are used by nearly all restaurateurs. Since the 1980s, exports of the product have also been successful. The high regard in which ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ are held is mainly the result of the traditional, regional production methods and the highly-developed craft skills which exist in Swabia for making ‘Spätzle’, with the hand-cut variety finding particular favour. Machine production also demands an instinctive feel and experience, so the producers’ craft skills and regional expertise with regard to processing are of special significance. Therefore, the assumption which can be made is that the renown of ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ is closely associated with the region of production.
The product ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ is well known to consumers and, given its regional origin, it is held in high esteem based on its long tradition as a Swabian speciality and the local craft skills developed in making the product, which is regarded as being of special quality if it is hand-cut. A nationwide survey carried out in 1965 by Konsumgenossenschaft Stuttgart e.G. for the Stuttgart and Reutlingen regions showed that ‘Spätzle’ are held in the highest regard. Swabian literature is also full of poems about the Swabians’ favourite food, such as the poem published in 1838 in the Schwarzwälder Boten entitled ‘Das Lob der Schwabenknöpfle’, the poem ‘Schwäbische Leibspeisa’ and ‘Spätzles-Lied’. There are numerous festive activities and customs in which reference is made to ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ and the products are marketed to the tourist industry in the form of speciality food weeks, courses, seminars and competitions on how to hand-cut ‘Spätzle’. More recently, ‘Schwäbische Spätzle’/‘Schwäbische Knöpfle’ have come to be seen as Swabia’s ‘culinary ambassador’.

Reference to publication of the product specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation)
https://register.dpma.de/DPMAregister/blattdownload/marken/2016/26/Teil-7/20160701


(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.