Publication of an approved standard amendment to the product specification of a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication in the agricultural products and foodstuffs sector, as referred to in Article 6b(2) and (3) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014
Date: 2023-11-27
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Community of Valencia, Spain, confectionery, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products








C_202301217EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
Series C













C/2023/1217


27.11.2023






Publication of an approved standard amendment to the product specification of a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication in the agricultural products and foodstuffs sector, as referred to in Article 6b(2) and (3) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014
(C/2023/1217)

This communication is published in accordance with Article 6b(5) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (1).
COMMUNICATING THE APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF A PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN OR PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION ORIGINATING IN A MEMBER STATE
(Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012)


                     ‘Jijona’
                  


EU No: PGI-ES-1563-AM01 – 5.9.2023
                  


PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name of product


               ‘Jijona’
            
2.   Member State to which the geographical area belongs

Spain
3.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment

Consellería de Agricultura, Desarrollo Rural, Emergencia Climática y Transición Ecológica [Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, Climate Emergency and Ecological Transition]
—
4.   Description of the approved amendment(s)


Addition of a product specification and a single document, which previously did not exist

The amendment proposes a product specification and a single document for the PGI ‘Jijona’, as these documents previously did not exist.
The proposed amendment is made necessary by the fact that the ‘Order of 22 March 1996 ratifying the Regulation on the Specific Designations “Jijona” and “Turrón de Alicante” and their Regulatory Board’ contradicts the text approved when the PGI was registered, laying down provisions that differ from those set out in the application for registration which was approved.
For example, while the application for registration states that the raw materials ‘may come from Alicante, Castellón and Valencia’, the Order states that they ‘must come from Alicante, Castellón and Valencia’.
The restriction on the origin of the raw materials laid down in the Order of 22 March 1996 ratifying the Regulation on the Specific Designations ‘Jijona’ and ‘Turrón de Alicante’ and its Regulatory Board lacks justification.
First of all, this is a Protected Geographical Indication, which does not require all stages of production to take place in the defined geographical area and therefore does not specify that the raw materials used to make the product come from the geographical area.
Furthermore, the place of origin of the almonds and honey has no bearing on the production of ‘Jijona’ PGI, let alone on the quality of the product, since the application for registration merely requires pure honey from bees and varieties of almonds with characteristics suited to the production of turrón.
In the same vein, the proposed amendment is needed in order to correct inconsistencies between the almond varieties referred to in the existing documents and the agronomic varieties, with their respective varietal modifications, listed on a commercial basis by the almond sector. It is the latter that should be referred to.
Lastly, the proposed amendment is needed in order to develop the content concerning the specific stages of production and the evidence that the product originates in the area, and to bring the product formats into line with current trends.
In short, the purpose of this amendment application is to correct these inconsistencies and to avoid the problems they pose, particularly as regards production certification. A product specification and a single document are required on the basis of which the product can be certified with no ambiguity or contradiction.
This amendment affects the single document.
SINGLE DOCUMENT


                     ‘Jijona’
                  


EU No: PGI-ES-1563-AM01 – 5.9.2023
                  


PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]


               ‘Jijona’
            
2.   Member State or third country

Spain
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product [listed in Annex XI]

Class 2.3. Bread, pastry, cakes, confectionery, biscuits and other baker’s wares
3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies


                  ‘Turrón de Jijona’ is a soft variety of turrón made with roasted almonds, which are ground and then mixed with caramelised syrup that has hardened and turned white, like white jasper (obtained by cooking honey, egg white and sugar(s)), producing a whitish-brown mass with small pieces of almond of varying size unevenly distributed throughout the mixture, variegating the natural colour of the product.
The commercial grade or category of the varieties of turrón covered by the ‘Jijona’ PGI:






—



                        ‘Calidad Suprema’: this denotes products containing:




a minimum of 64 % clean, healthy, roasted almonds free of foreign matter;
a minimum of 10 % pure honey.






—



                        ‘Calidad Extra’: this denotes products containing:




a minimum of 50 % clean, healthy, roasted almonds free of foreign matter;
a minimum of 10 % pure honey.
The percentages of the ingredients referenced, in each of the commercial categories, corresponds to the proportion of those ingredients in the finished product, following the heat treatment undergone during processing.
3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)







a)


The main ingredients of ‘Jijona’ turrón are:






—


Roasted almonds: roasted almonds of the genus Prunus amygdalus dulcis that are clean, healthy and free of foreign matter, belonging to the various agronomic varieties listed commercially by the almond supply sector, with their respective varietal modifications.










—


Pure honey: of the various agronomic varieties listed commercially by the beekeeping sector.










—


Egg white or albumin, in any of its commercial forms (fresh, freeze-dried, powdered, etc.).














b)


Other ingredients and additives permitted for the manufacture of ‘Turrón de Jijona’ are:






—


Sugar(s) (different types and derivatives).










—


Water.










—


Additives and flavourings authorised by the Regulatory Board: flavour or aroma of cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) through the use of cinnamon sticks, ground cinnamon or its concentrated essence or aroma. The additives and flavourings used in making the turrón covered by the PGI must comply with Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on food additives (2) and Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on flavouring and certain food ingredients with flavouring properties for use in and on foods (3) (or any legislation replacing them).








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

The production process, supervised by the official or master turronero (turrón-maker), is carried out in the geographical area defined in Section C of the production specification and consists of the following steps:






—


Roasting the almonds.










—


Cooking the syrup or caramel produced by mixing sugars, honey and egg white over a high heat until caramelised.










—


Mixing the peeled, chopped and roasted almonds with the caramel produced during the cooking stage, until the almonds are evenly distributed and the turrón mixture is achieved.










—


Cooling and grinding the mixture until the necessary particle size or consistency is achieved.










—


Milling and refining the mixture until it is ready for the ‘finishing’ or ‘emulsion’ phase.










—


Cooking and final ‘finishing’ of the mixture.










—


Cooling, moulding and cutting the turrón block.










—


Packaging and labelling.




3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

Packaging and labelling must take place within the geographical area defined in Section C of the product specification in order to ensure the product’s quality and traceability. This is down to two factors:






a)


Firstly, in order to safeguard the quality of the product, packaging must take place immediately once the cooled block has either undergone final preparation to be presented as ‘Turrón de Jijona’ (liquid, cream or paste) or has been cut, for final preparation as ‘Turrón de Jijona’, into portions, bars, tablets, cakes, blocks or any other specified sales format. Thus, in order to ensure that the specific characteristics of the product are preserved when it is ready for cutting, the resulting pieces must be packaged very soon after being cut.










b)


Secondly, in order to guarantee the product’s authenticity and origin to consumers, the product, once packaged, is labelled using labels issued by the Regulatory Board. The signs identifying the authenticity and origin of the product appear on the labelling, therefore it is necessary for this to be carried out in the area in order to preserve the product’s authenticity.




However, slicing, cutting and handling at the point of retail is permitted. In this instance, the turrón is dispatched in blocks, which are cut into bars or tablets in front of the consumer at the time of sale. This way of selling the product is traditionally known as ‘retail selling’ or ‘selling by the slice’, and is typical in the province of Alicante, especially around Christmas.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

Packages of turrón covered by the Protected Geographical Indication ‘Jijona’ must bear the following labelling information, irrespective of other labelling requirements and details which, under the applicable legislation, must be placed on the final packaging for release to the market:
the trade mark (own trade mark or otherwise) registered with the Regulatory Board;
the sales designation of the product: ‘Turrón de Jijona’
               
The commercial grade or category of the product:

                  ‘Calidad Suprema’:

                  ‘Calidad Extra’:
the net weight or actual content of the product;
the label serving as a guarantee for the consumer.
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area


               ‘Jijona’ PGI must be produced and packaged in the municipality of Jijona/Xixona, which is in the district of l’Alacantí in the province of Alicante in the Autonomous Community of Valencia.
5.   Link with the geographical area

The link between ‘Turrón de Jijona’ and the geographical production area is based mainly on the product’s reputation, which it enjoys precisely because of its geographical origin. The product also has certain specific characteristics arising from natural and human factors found in the region.

Reputation


                  ‘Turrón de Jijona’ is a unique, genuine, distinctive product with a strong reputation and high prestige among consumers. It is linked to the municipality of Jijona, a city in Alicante which is known in Spain as ‘Jijona, birthplace of turrón’.
The reputation of the turrón made in Jijona was not built in a day. Master turroneros in Jijona have been producing turrón for over 500 years, according to numerous supporting documents. One of the oldest is a manuscript by the head chef to King Philip II, writer and food-lover Francisco Martínez Montiño (1526-1598) who introduced turrón to the royal court. Later, in his book ‘Conduchos de Navidad’ [Christmas foods], he tells the story of a fictitious visit to Jijona by three Japanese princes, which contains the following excerpts: ‘The houses of Xixona are filled with the aroma of hot honey’, meaning that turrón was being produced in every house; and ‘the turrón of Xixona/Jijona is famous, a mixture of almonds and honey, well ground and mixed and cooked to perfection’.

Natural factors

Historically, the people of Jijona have taken what their land has given them and incorporated this into their culinary and artisanal customs: fields full of almonds and honeycomb from beehives located in the mountains bordering their homes, where plants favoured by bees such as rosemary, lavender and thyme abound, and the renowned cultivation of sugar cane (canyamel) in the region. The widespread production of almonds and honey in the area resulted in a product linked to these raw materials.
The product, and its name ‘Jijona’, are quite simply the bedrock of a culture linked to the production of turrón in a village, Jijona, located only 25 km from the sea port of the provincial capital, Alicante, from which these products were transported to the far corners of the world.

Human factors

The traditional know-how of the official and/or master turronero, which is a cornerstone of the turrón production system, safeguards the product’s distinctive characteristics. During production, the master turronero applies traditional practices and techniques resulting from know-how passed down from generation to generation, contributing to the reputation and prestige that ‘Turrón de Jijona’ enjoys.

Reference to publication of the product specification

https://breu.gva.es/b/wnDiHXjWcu


(1)  
            OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.

(2)  
            OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 16.

(3)  
            OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 34.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2023/1217/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)