Publication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication in the sector of agricultural products and foodstuffs, as referred to in Article 6b(2) and (3) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014
Date: 2024-12-30
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Italy, Tuscany, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, meat product, product designation, quality control of agricultural products








C_202407560EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2024/7560


30.12.2024






Publication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication in the sector of agricultural products and foodstuffs, as referred to in Article 6b(2) and (3) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014
(C/2024/7560)

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)



                     ‘Finocchiona’
                  


EU No: PGI-IT-1120-AM01 - 30 September 2024
                  


PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name of product


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

Italy
3.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment

Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry - Department for Food Sovereignty and Equestrian Sports
—
4.   Description of the approved amendment(s)

Explanation of why the amendment(s) fall under the definition of a standard amendment as provided for in Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012
The amendments to the product specification for ‘Finocchiona’ PGI
do not include a change in the name of the protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication, or in the use of that name;
do not risk voiding the link referred to in Article 5(1), point (b), for protected designations of origin, or the link referred to in Article 5(2), point (b), for protected geographical indications; or
do not entail further restrictions on the marketing of the product.
Amendment to the product specification of ‘Finocchiona’ PGI
Standard amendment to the product specification of ‘Finocchiona’ PGI
The amendment affects the single document.
SINGLE DOCUMENT


                     ‘Finocchiona’
                  


EU No: PGI-IT-1120-AM01 - 30 September 2024
                  


PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]


               ‘Finocchiona’
            
2.   Member State or Third Country

Italy
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Combined Nomenclature code







—


16 - PREPARATIONS OF MEAT, OF FISH, OF CRUSTACEANS, MOLLUSCS OR OTHER AQUATIC INVERTEBRATES, OR OF INSECTS




3.2.   Description of product to which the name in (1) applies


                  ‘Finocchiona’ PGI salami is characterised by the aroma of the fennel contained as seeds and/or flowers in the mixture, and the soft texture of the slices, which sometimes tend to crumble. The colour of the slices ranges from meat red in the lean parts to white/pinkish white in the fatty parts, the parts being well mixed together with indistinct boundaries. Fennel seeds and/or flowers may also be visible. The pronounced aroma of fennel and slight aroma of garlic give the salami its characteristic pleasant smell. It has a fresh and appetising taste, which is never acidic. The product has the following chemical properties: total proteins: not less than 20 %; total fats: not more than 35 %; pH: between 5 and 6; water activity (aw): not more than 0,945; salt: not more than 6 %.
The product is a cylindrical sausage, coated with the characteristic feathery mould that develops during maturation. The size varies from small salamis weighing from 0,5 kg at the time of casing to larger ones weighing up to 25 kg at casing. The salami is released for consumption loose, vacuum packed or packed in a protective atmosphere, whole or in thick slices, or vacuum packed or packed in a protective atmosphere in thin slices.
3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

The feed ration of the heavy pigs varies as regards both its composition and the method used. It is divided into two stages and is predominantly based on the by-products of cheesemaking and on cereals.
The following raw materials are permitted at the grower stage: maize (up to 65 % of dry matter intake); sorghum, barley, wheat, triticale, maize grain meal and/or corn cob meal (up to 55 % of dry matter intake); minor cereals, peas (up to 25 % of dry matter intake); whole ear maize meal, wheat bran and other by-products of wheat processing, products obtained during extraction of soya beans (up to 20 % of dry matter intake); maize silage, maize gluten meal and/or corn gluten feed, dehydrated beet pulp, products obtained during extraction of sunflower seeds, rapeseed meal, other legume seeds, roasted whole soya beans and/or soya expeller (up to 10 % of dry matter intake); maize germ meal, molasses (up to 5 % of dry matter intake); lucerne (high temperature dried) (up to 4 % of dry matter intake); distillers’ dried grains and solubles (up to 3 % of dry matter intake); fruit pulp and tomato pulp (tomato pomace) as premix carriers, linseed expeller, linseed expeller feed, linseed meal, linseed meal feed, lipids with a melting point above 36 °C, yeast (up to 2 % of dry matter intake); fish meal (up to 1 % of dry matter intake); whey (up to 15 l per pig per day); and buttermilk (up to 250 g of dry matter intake per pig per day).
The following criteria must also be taken into account at the growing stage: the diet may be supplemented with vitamins and minerals, and additives may be used in accordance with the European Union legislation in force, while cereals must make up at least 45 % of overall dry matter intake.
The same rules as for the growing stage also apply at the finishing stage, with the following exceptions: cereals must make up at least 55 % of overall dry matter intake and finishers may not be fed fish meal or roasted whole soya beans and/or soya expeller.
The cereal-based diet may be given either in liquid form (swill or mash, and the traditional practice of administering feed with whey and/or buttermilk) or dry. To ensure good-quality fat coverage, the feed’s linoleic acid content is capped at 2 % of dry matter intake and fat is capped at 5 % of dry matter intake. Whey and buttermilk, by-products respectively of the processing of curds and butter, together should not exceed 15 litres per pig per day. The total nitrogen content if combined with molasses residue must be less than 2 %.
Pigs of the Cinta Senese breed, reared in the open or using a mixed system, feed by grazing in woods and/or on bare land sown with forage and cereal plants. Daily feed supplements may be given to pigs over four months of age but must not amount to more than 3 % of the animal’s live weight.
To prepare ‘Finocchiona’ PGI fresh meat is typically used, which must not have been frozen, obtained from carcases of:






—


heavy pigs, raised for at least nine months until they achieve a heavy weight and their meat is ideal for producing ‘Finocchiona’ PGI, which have specific genetic properties that ensure the maintenance, distribution and qualitative composition of the fats in the meat, the production of carcases graded as heavy (H) and the achievement of a heavy slaughter weight – carcases between 110,1 kg and 180,0 kg – and an age of at least nine months at slaughter. All the above, along with a specific feed regime for the animals based mainly on cereals, constitute essential requirements for the correct maturation and organoleptic profile of ‘Finocchiona’. More specifically, offspring of:






(a)


boars of the traditional breeds Italian Large White, Italian Landrace and Italian Duroc, as improved by the Italian Herd Book, either purebred or crossbred between them, and sows of the traditional breeds Italian Large White and Italian Landrace, either purebred or crossbred between them;










(b)


boars of the traditional breeds mentioned in (a) and crossbred sows or sows of other genetic types provided that these are bred under selection and/or crossbreeding schemes involving the breeds Large White, Landrace or Duroc for the production of heavy pigs, the aims of which are compatible with those of the Italian Herd Book;










(c)


boars and sows of other genetic types provided that these are bred under selection and/or crossbreeding schemes involving the breeds Large White, Landrace or Duroc for the production of heavy pigs, the aims of which are compatible with those of the Italian Herd Book;










(d)


boars of the other genetic types mentioned in (c), and sows of the traditional breeds mentioned in (a).








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

The steps in the production of ‘Finocchiona’ PGI that must take place in the geographical area defined in point 4 are cleaning and trimming of the authorised cuts of meat; mincing; kneading, filling the casings, drying; and maturation.
The Cinta Senese meat comes from animals reared in the geographical area defined in point 4.
3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

For packed, sliced ‘Finocchiona’ to be released for consumption, both slicing and packing, including in a vacuum or in a protective atmosphere, must be carried out exclusively in the production area defined in point 4 under the control of the authorised inspection body in order to guarantee product quality and, in particular, to prevent any deterioration in the characteristics described in point 3.2.
The mixing of finely minced pieces of lean meat and fat makes the slices particularly delicate, during both slicing and handling. Preparing the product for slicing involves removing the casing, directly exposing the edible part to the external environment. Exposure to uncontrolled environmental conditions for an indeterminate period causes a deterioration in the characteristics of the product, giving rise to oxidation, changes in colour and an excessive loss of moisture, with a degradation in the specific texture of the slices and the pronounced aroma that should characterise this salami. In order to guarantee and maintain the product’s original characteristics it is essential that those doing the slicing are in contact with the product under specific conditions and for a limited amount of time.
If the product intended for slicing is stored for an indeterminate period under conditions other than those laid down, undesirable characteristics inconsistent with those for which the product is known could develop, such as rancidity, drying, the formation of abnormal mould, swelling or browning, that could generate tastes, aromas and a consistency other than those the product should exhibit.
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

The name ‘Finocchiona’ must be in distinct, indelible lettering of a colour that strongly contrasts with that of the label and that is clearly distinguishable from and larger than any other writing on the label and of a minimum of 3 mm and must be followed immediately by the words ‘Protected Geographical Indication’ or the letters ‘PGI’. The label must always bear the EU PGI logo, possibly together with wordings complying with the European Union legislation in force. The use of indications referring to companies, names, business names, private trademarks and consortia is also permitted on the label, provided they have no laudatory purport and are not such as to mislead the purchaser or consumer. Reference to the name of the pig farms on which the pigs from which the product comes were raised is allowed only if the raw material comes solely from those farms.
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area of ‘Finocchiona’ PGI covers the entire territory of mainland Tuscany, excluding the islands, which is the area in which the production of this typical product has become established over time.
5.   Link with the geographical area

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area

The production area of ‘Finocchiona’ PGI has a mountainous area in the north and east, marking its boundaries, and an extensive upland area, with vineyards, woodlands and pasture land for livestock rearing in the open, sloping down to the coastal plains in the west.
Until the 1970s, agricultural holdings were organised on the basis of ‘mezzadria’ (sharecropping), now replaced in large part by farmer-proprietors. This preserved the farming of pigs of the historical Cinta Senese breed, which has in the meantime also faced and overcome the risk of extinction, and white breeds of pigs, from which the raw material for Tuscany charcuterie comes, and handed down the specialised know-how and craft processing methods used for ‘Finocchiona’.
Meat, wine and the widespread presence of wild fennel have helped develop the taste of charcuterie producers, who are the custodians of expert, craft production methods, a heritage of age-old techniques and customs that have come down to today’s processing undertakings, located throughout the production area.
5.2.   Specificity of the product

The main characteristic that marks out ‘Finocchiona’ and makes it unique in the world of charcuterie is the pronounced and unmistakable aroma of the fennel seed and/or flowers used in the mixture and the tenderness of the slices, which sometimes tend to crumble on cutting. It has a fresh and appetising taste, which is never acidic.
The pieces of fat are distributed in the slice in such a way that they surround the pieces of muscle tissue so that the product remains tender even after a lengthy maturation period. The fatty and lean parts, in medium-sized pieces, have no distinct boundaries. The colour of the slices ranges from meat red in the lean parts to white/pinkish white in the fatty parts. Fennel seeds and/or flowers may also be visible.
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)

The historical reputation of ‘Finocchiona’ is evidenced by numerous documents such as Rigutini and Fanfani’s Vocabolario della lingua parlata of 1875, the 1889 edition of the Vocabolario degli Accademici della Crusca, which demonstrates the link between ‘Finocchiona’ and Tuscany, and the work of Professor Italo Ghinelli, who in 1977 confirmed the Tuscan origin of the product. ‘Finocchiona’ is one of the most widely available forms of charcuterie in Tuscany and is regularly referred to in the weekly charcuterie product bulletins published by an authoritative nationally distributed specialised magazine.

                  ‘Finocchiona’ owes its characteristics to the interactions over the centuries between the Tuscan environment in which it originated and human factors, which have given rise to the production method. The original choice of ingredients, particularly fennel, which is typical of so much of the regional cuisine and which is endemic in the production area, an established tradition of charcuterie production, the specialised know-how of qualified workers with manual and craft skills, who know how to select and trim the best cuts and ensure the correct balance between fat and lean meat and understand when the ‘Finocchiona’ has the right consistency and tenderness, contribute to producing a unique and unequalled product, whose reputation is now firmly established. The addition of wine to the ‘Finocchiona’ mixture, in accordance with the historical production method, is proof of the strong link with the local area, whose wines are known throughout the world. The production of quality meat from the Cinta Senese breed has allowed processing undertakings to establish themselves throughout the region, helping to further affirm the character of the product and consolidating its reputation and the link between ‘Finocchiona’ and Tuscany in the minds of consumers.
A plate of Tuscan cold cuts is unthinkable without ‘Finocchiona’, which has also spread beyond national borders and is now found in many countries of Central Europe and countries outside the European Union.

Reference to publication of the product specification


https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/gu/2024/04/16/89/sg/pdf



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


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/7560/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)