Publication of the communication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a geographical indication in accordance with Article 5(4) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27
Date: 2025-12-15
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Denmark, blue-veined cheese, consumer information, cows’ milk cheese, designation of origin, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products








C_202506673EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/6673


15.12.2025






Publication of the communication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a geographical indication in accordance with Article 5(4) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27 (1)

(C/2025/6673)

COMMUNICATION OF APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT
(Article 24 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143)


                     ‘Danablu’
                  


PGI-DK-0328-AM01 – 15.9.2025
                  

1.   Name of product


               ‘Danablu’
            
2.   Geographical indication type







☐


Protected designation of origin (PDO)










☒


Protected geographical indication (PGI)










☐


Geographical indication (GI)




3.   Sector







☒


Agricultural products










☐


Wines










☐


Spirit drinks




4.   Country to which the geographical area belongs

Denmark
5.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment

Fødevarestyrelsen [Danish Veterinary and Food Administration]
6.   Qualification as standard amendment

Explanation as to why the amendment falls under the definition of a standard amendment as provided for in Article 24(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143:
The amendments concern editorial changes and updates of no substantive importance.
The application to amend the protected geographical indication Danablu does not fall under any of the three cases provided for in Article 24(3) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 constituting a Union amendment for agricultural products, namely:






(a)


a change in the name or the use of the name;










(b)


a risk of voiding the link to the geographical area referred to in the single document;










(c)


further restrictions on the marketing of the product.




The amendments to the product specification of the protected geographical indication Danablu are therefore classified as a standard amendment within the meaning of Article 24(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143.
7.   Description of the approved standard amendment(s)

1.   The amendment concerns Section 1, ‘Name’, of the product specification


                  ‘Danablu 50+ or Danablu 60+ (depending on the fat content)’
               
has been amended to:

                  ‘Danablu’.
Reason: Editorial amendment specifying that the registered name is to appear on its own, meaning that the fat content in dry matter should not be indicated together with the name.
This amendment does not affect the single document.
2.   The amendment concerns Section 2.1, ‘Composition’, of the product specification


                  ‘Danablu 50+: Minimum fat in dry matter: 50 %; minimum dry matter: 52 %
Danablu 60+: Minimum fat in dry matter: 60 %; minimum dry matter: 56 %’
               
has been amended to:

                  ‘Danablu can be produced with the following levels of fat content:






—


Minimum fat in dry matter: 50 %; minimum dry matter: 52 %










—


Minimum fat in dry matter: 60 %; minimum dry matter: 56 %’.




Reason: Editorial amendment.
This amendment results in a change to the ‘Composition’ subsection of Section 3.2, ‘Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies’, of the single document.
The amendment affects the single document.
3.   The amendment concerns Section 7, ‘Certification and inspection body’, of the product specification

The section has been deleted as information on who is responsible for checking compliance with the product specification is not considered relevant for inclusion in the specification. Moreover, that task is no longer delegated, but is now performed by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration.
This amendment does not result in any change to the single document.
The amendment does not affect the single document.
4.   The amendment concerns Section 8, ‘Labelling’, of the product specification


                  ‘Danablu (50+ or 60+) plus “Protected Geographical Indication” or “PGI” in all official language versions. The words “Danish Blue Cheese” or translations thereof in all official language versions may be added.’
               
has been amended to:

                  ‘The words “Danish Blue Cheese” or translations thereof in other languages may be added to the label. The words must appear separately from, but in the same field of vision as, the protected name.’
               
Reason: The amendment concerns two elements: the first element is that the words ‘Danablu (50+ or 60+) plus “Protected Geographical Indication” or “PGI” in all official language versions’ have been deleted. That change is a result partly of amendment No 1 and partly of the fact that the requirement for the words ‘
                  “Protected Geographical Indication” or “PGI” in all official language versions’ to be able to be added the name is superfluous as it is generally applicable.
The second element is that the sentence ‘The words “Danish Blue Cheese” or translations thereof in all official language versions may be added.’ has been altered as a result of the above amendment and it has been specified that the additional words must, where included, appear separately from, but in the same field of vision as, the registered name.
This amendment results in a change to Section 3.6, ‘Specific labelling rules’, of the single document.
The amendment affects the single document.
5.   The amendment concerns Section 9, ‘National requirements’, of the product specification

That section has been deleted.
Reason: There are no specific national requirements.
This amendment does not result in any change to the single document.
The amendment does not affect the single document.
6.   The amendment concerns the name and address of the producer group

The name and address of the producers’ association have been updated, but the section otherwise remains unchanged.
This amendment does not result in any change to the single document.
The amendment does not affect the single document.
SINGLE DOCUMENT


                     ‘Danablu’
                  


EU No: PGI-DK-0328-AM01 – 15.9.2025
                  


PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]


               ‘Danablu’
            
2.   Member State or third country

Denmark
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Combined Nomenclature code

04 – DAIRY PRODUCE; BIRDS’ EGGS; NATURAL HONEY; EDIBLE PRODUCTS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN, NOT ELSEWHERE SPECIFIED OR INCLUDED

                  0406  – Cheese and curd
3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

Blue-veined cheese, full-fat or extra full-fat, semi-firm to soft, ripened with blue mould, produced from Danish cow’s milk.
Composition:
Danablu can be produced with the following levels of fat content:






1.


Minimum fat in dry matter: 50 %; minimum dry matter: 52 %










2.


Minimum fat in dry matter: 60 %; minimum dry matter: 56 %




Shape and weight (whole cheese):






1.


Flat cylindrical, diameter approx. 20 cm, weight approx. 3 kg










2.


Rectangular, length approx. 30 cm, width approx. 12 cm, weight approx. 4 kg




Surface:
White to light yellowish or light brownish colour. No appreciable smear layer or mouldy growth. May be only slightly sunken in the centre. The surfaces may contain visible perforations. No paraffin wax or plastic emulsion coating.
Rind:
No rind as such, but an impervious and fairly firm outer layer. The surfaces may contain perforations. The surfaces and sides must be whole, even and regular.
Colour:
White to light yellowish, not greyish, not overly mouldy, permeated by fairly evenly distributed pure marbling of blue-green veins of mould in perforations, holes and cracks. The marbling may decrease towards the edge of the cheese. The perforations must not contain any smear or foreign mould growth.
Structure:
Evenly distributed, dispersed physical openings and cracks (curd openings) and perforations. The mass may be denser towards the edge of the cheese. No holes from fermentation.
Consistency:
Loose but not crumbly, generally soft, cuttable and spreadable, somewhat firmer and shorter texture towards the edge of the cheese.
Smell and taste:
Clean, piquant flavour strongly characterised by the pure growth of blue mould. The taste may be sharp and somewhat salty and tart, with slightly bitter notes.
Maturing time:
At least five weeks.
3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

—
Danablu is produced exclusively from milk from the geographical area.
3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

All steps in production must take place in 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

The words ‘Danish Blue Cheese’ or translations thereof in other languages may be added to the name. The words must appear separately from, but in the same field of vision as, the registered name.
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

Denmark
5.   Link with the geographical area

5.1.   The geographical area

In accordance with the original recipe, Danablu is produced exclusively from Danish cow’s milk.

Concise definition of the geographical area

The essential element in the production of Danablu that restricts it to the geographical area of Denmark is the traditional expertise and know-how possessed by Danish cheese producers. These unique skills ensure that the Danablu produced continues to have the traditional qualities of this cheese.
5.2.   Specificity of the product

Danablu is a blue-veined cheese, full-fat or extra full-fat, semi-firm to soft, produced from Danish cow’s milk. The milk is homogenised and pasteurised or subjected to heat treatment, which gives the cheese a sharp, piquant flavour and a cuttable, slightly crumbly texture. Danablu has a strong flavour compared to other blue-veined cheeses. The rind is white and free of visible mould and other microorganisms.
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)

Within and outside the EU, Danablu has a reputation for being a speciality of Danish origin made from Danish raw materials. That reputation has been achieved through legislative initiatives and work carried out by producers over the past 60 years to ensure the product’s quality and preserve its particular traditional characteristics.

History

During the Second World War, an American university obtained a patent for the homogenisation of cheese milk and attempted to have duties levied on Danish cheese made from homogenised milk. This was unsuccessful as it could be demonstrated that this method had been introduced 20 years earlier by Marius Boel in Denmark. He seems to have been preoccupied – more or less consciously – with cheese even as a boy as at a very young age he carried out a number of interesting experiments on blue-vein cultures at home on his family’s farm in Salling, where butter and cheese were produced. He had noticed that the cheeses sometimes became mouldy and, purely out of curiosity, he tasted them. Boel discovered that the cheeses, in his own words, ‘had a peculiar, piquant taste’. So he took some mould from the cheeses and grew it on bread. After that, he dried and ground the bread and added this powder to the fresh curd. The first step had been taken towards Danablu cheese.
In 1927 Boel attempted to make cheese from homogenised milk which he obtained from a dairy in Odense. He was inspired by 9 %-fat single cream which, because it was homogenised, had a creamy consistency despite its relatively low fat content. The experiments resulted in a significant improvement in the quality of the cheese, which became fattier and acquired a more piquant taste, a whiter colour and an improved water-holding capacity. It then soon became common practice to homogenise cheese milk at dairies producing cheese of this type. In the 1930s it also became common for cheese milk to be pasteurised at a low temperature at Danish cheese dairies.
For various reasons the demand for Danish blue-veined cheese rose dramatically around 1930, and the number of producers also increased. In order to maintain quality, negotiations were initiated with Chief Inspector Lohse, the Head of the State Inspection Service, with a view to establishing regular checks on cheeses intended for export. The negotiations concluded that it was necessary first to set up a producers’ association that could discuss the details of the inspection system. A meeting was accordingly held on 23 June 1934. The decision to establish a producers’ association was adopted at the meeting.
On the same day that the association was established, it was agreed with Inspector Lohse that the first cheese evaluation trials would be held in Odense on 16 July 1934. After three trials, criteria were adopted for evaluating the rind, structure, colour, smell and taste of the cheese and its overall suitability for export. In September 1934 the association launched negotiations with the Ministry of Agriculture and the State Inspection Service to establish rules on the cheese’s characteristics and on approval for dairies to produce export cheeses. Following the negotiations, the ministry issued its ‘regulations for evaluating Roquefort-type cheeses in state cheese evaluations’. The regulations took effect on 1 January 1936.
In 1952 the name of the cheese, Danablu, was officially established by Ministry of Agriculture Order No 80 of 13 March 1952 on the names of Danish cheeses. Act No 214 of 16 June 1958 on the production and marketing, etc. of cheese was issued in 1958. The Act sets out guidelines for production and inspection. Subsequent regulations were laid down in orders from 1963 and 1969 specifying the characteristics of cheeses.

Reference to publication of the product specification


https://foedevarestyrelsen.dk/Media/638924859496078085/Produktspecifikation%20for%20DANABLU%20-%20september%202025.pdf



(1)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27 of 30 October 2024 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council with rules concerning the registration and the protection of geographical indications, traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms and repealing Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (OJ L, 2025/27, 15.1.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2025/27/oj).


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/6673/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)