Publication of an application for registration of a name 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 2023/C 199/09
Date: 2023-06-07
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Norrbotten county, Sweden, Västerbotten county, consumer information, designation of origin, fresh fruit, frozen product, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products, soft fruit








C_2023199EN.01002101.xml










7.6.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 199/21






Publication of an application for registration of a name 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
(2023/C 199/09)
This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) within three months from the date of this publication.
SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Allåkerbär från Norrland’


EU No: PDO-SE-02494 — 11.4.2019


PDO (X) PGI ( )

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

’Allåkerbär från Norrland'
2.   Member State or Third Country

Sweden
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.6. Fruit, vegetables and cereals, fresh or processed
3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Allåkerbär från Norrland’ is the name given to Arctic raspberries (Rubus arcticus L. subsp. x stellarcticus G. Larsson) grown in open fields in the counties of Norrbotten and Västerbotten in Sweden. There are currently seven varieties of ‘allåkerbär’, four of which can be included in ‘Allåkerbär från Norrland’ – ‘Anna’, ‘Linda’, ‘Sofia’ and ‘Beata’. At least two varieties must always be included because different varieties are needed for the plants to produce fruit.
The shape of the berries resembles that of the raspberry, with multiple small drupelets making up a fruit 8-20 mm in size. The berries weigh up to 10 g each and range in colour from bright red to deep wine red. They usually ripen from mid-July to the end of August. The sugar content is in the range 3-10 % and consists mainly of sucrose, as well as glucose and fructose. The sugar content of the berries is increased by large amounts of daylight. The sugar reinforces the complex taste of the fruit. Acidity is 1-3 % and consists mainly of citric acid and malic acid. The product is presented fresh or frozen. The organoleptic characteristics of the frozen product are not impaired.
Allåkerbär belong to the Rubus genus, which also includes berries such as raspberries and blackberries. Even if there are similarities with these berries, the taste of the allåkerbär has a number of distinct characteristics. The taste of the fully ripe berries is complex, with notes of lingonberry, redcurrant, sherry, earth cellar, sea buckthorn and blackberry. It is a unique taste with a high flavour intensity. Because allåkerbär is self-sterile and a crop needs to include different varieties, the cross-fertilisation contributes to the complex taste. The geographical area with its long hours of daylight combined with a mild climate during the growing season allows the berries to ripen fully before harvest, while the local knowledge of the berries also means that they are harvested only once fully ripe.
3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

—
3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

‘Allåkerbär från Norrland’ must be grown, harvested, cleaned and processed within the geographical area.
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

Packages of ‘Allåkerbär från Norrland’ are labelled with a specific logo in order to ensure traceability.
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area in which ‘Allåkerbär från Norrland’ are produced covers the Swedish counties of Norrbotten (BD) and Västerbotten (AC).
5.   Link with the geographical area

The area comprises the northernmost parts of Sweden. The Arctic Circle intersects the area.
Table 1 presents climate data for the period 1991-2020 (Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, SMHI) for Boden, a town located roughly in the centre of the geographical area for ‘Allåkerbär från Norrland’.

Table 1


Climate data for Boden, 1991-2020. Monthly average










 


May


June


July


August




Temperature (°C)


7,7 


13,4 


16,3 


14,2 




Precipitation (mm)


40,9 


60,4 


70,0 


68,2 




Global solar radiation (kWh/m2)


155,9 


169,9 


162,4 


118,6 




Daylight per day (h)


19,12 


23,19 


20,44 


16,38 




Summer usually starts between 26 May and 1 June. The first frost occurs around 1 September. The climate is characterised by abundant precipitation, mild temperatures, high solar radiation and an extremely high number of hours of daylight. The number of hours of daylight is a direct result of the northerly latitude. The area north of latitude 65,73 has midnight sun for part of the growing season. The mild temperatures at such a northerly latitude are unique to this area and a direct result of the Gulf Stream off the coast of Norway. This combination of long hours of daylight and yet mild temperatures creates good conditions for cultivation of high-quality berries. The amount of daylight increases the sugar content of the berries and they develop particularly fast. The sugar reinforces the complex taste of the fruit. The very cold winters in the area are also an important factor, reducing the pest pressure on the plants. Together this results in good conditions for the cultivation of ‘Allåkerbär från Norrland’.
The allåkerbär is a hybrid that resulted from deliberate selection work carried out in the 1950s and 1960s, primarily at the Öjebyn research station outside Piteå in the county of Norrbotten. The work that led to the development of the hybrid fruit began in the 1930s in Vilhelmina (located within the geographical area), where wild Nordic Arctic raspberries were cultivated. The allåkerbär was created in the 1960s through hybridisation of the wild Nordic Arctic raspberry (Rubus arcticus arcticus) and the Alaskan Arctic raspberry (Rubus arcticus stellatus) under the leadership of researcher Gunny Larsson. She presented her thesis on the subject in 1970 and then continued the practical work on the further development and commercialisation of the allåkerbär. The research station at Röbäcksdalen in Umeå, in the county of Västerbotten, also played an important role in the commercialisation of the berry. From the 1970s until the mid 2000s, additional research was carried out there focusing on the allåkerbär, in particular regarding harvesting and cleaning techniques, as well as diseases and their remedies. Nowadays, there are isolated plants in private gardens and other such sites in southern Sweden and also in other countries, but commercial cultivation of the fruit has so far been limited to the counties of Norrbotten and Västerbotten. The three holdings currently cultivating the berry for commercial purposes are located in the municipalities of Umeå (AC), Boden (BD) and Jokkmokk (BD).
The specific expertise built up over the years in the geographical area in relation to the cultivation, harvesting and preparation of the berry covers matters such as effective weed control – which is important for a competition-sensitive crop like the allåkerbär – disease control and optimal harvesting time. The latter is crucial as the aroma of the fruit is fully developed only once the individual drupelets have grown and become fully ripe and very succulent. The geographical area also enables this stage to be reached during the growing season. Optimising the harvesting time also means harvesting the allåkerbär in several stages precisely in order to maximise the aroma intensity of the berries.
The natural conditions in the geographical area enabled the development of the allåkerbär plant. They also create the low pest pressure necessary for cultivation and give the berries their particular sweetness. The predominance of coniferous trees, in particular spruce, in the geographical area also means large areas of land have a low pH, which is a requirement if the allåkerbär is to thrive.
Optimal natural conditions and expertise in allåkerbär cultivation are found in the geographical area, as well as a special culture surrounding the consumption of the berry. ‘Allåkerbär från Norrland’ are an indispensable feature of special occasions for many people in the geographical area, eaten either fresh or more often in the form of jam, which is served with waffles, vanilla ice cream or a small amount of whipped cream. There is no corresponding culture in other parts of Sweden.

Reference to publication of the specification

https://www.livsmedelsverket.se/globalassets/foretag-regler-kontroll/livsmedelsinformation-markning-halsopastaenden/skyddade-beteckningar/sub-ansokan-allakerbar-fran-norrland_230314.pdf


(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.