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: 2026-05-12
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, consumer information, cows’ milk cheese, designation of origin, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products








C_202602639EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2026/2639


12.5.2026






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/2026/2639)

COMMUNICATION OF APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT

(Article 24 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143)


‘Raclette de Savoie’


EU Reference number: PGI-FR-02095-AM03 – 17 February 2026
                  

1.   Product name

‘Raclette de Savoie’
2.   Geographical indication type







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PDO










☑


PGI










☐


GI




3.   Sector







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Agricultural products










☐


Wines










☐


Spirit drinks




4.   Country to which the geographical area belongs

France
5.   National authority communicating the standard amendment


Name

Ministry of Agriculture, Agri-food and Food Sovereignty
6.   Qualification as standard amendment

The amendments described and justified do not include a change in the name of the protected geographical indication or a change in the use of that name. They do not risk voiding the link referred to in Article 5(2)(b), nor do they entail further restrictions on the marketing of the product. These amendments therefore meet the definition of a standard amendment.
7.   Description of the approved standard amendment(s)


Title

Responsible department in the Member State:

Description

The contact details of the National Institute of Origin and Quality have been updated in the product specification. The fax number has been deleted as it is no longer in use and the email address has been amended.






☐


The amendment affects the single document.





Title

Type of product

Description

The reference to the type of product in the product specification has been deleted.






☐


The amendment affects the single document.





Title

Product description

Description

In order to take into account the variability of the analytical criteria of ‘Raclette de Savoie’, while maintaining the expected organoleptic qualities, amendments have been made to three points in the product specification:






—


The minimum salt content of 1,4 % has been deleted;










—


The minimum pH has been changed from 5,5 to 5,4;










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The minimum NH3 content has changed from 60 to 50 mg/100 g of cheese;










☑


The amendment affects the single document.





Title

Details of the inspection bodies

Description

The contact details of the National Institute of Origin and Quality have been updated in the product specification. The fax number has been deleted as it is no longer in use and the email address has been amended.
The regulatory references have also been updated.






☐


The amendment affects the single document.





Title

Labelling

Description

Editorial amendments have been made to the chapter on ‘Specific elements of labelling’ in the product specification.






☑


The amendment affects the single document.





Title

Main points to be checked and evaluation methods

Description

An editorial amendment has been made to the method of checking in the table of main points to be checked.






☐


The amendment affects the single document.




SINGLE DOCUMENT

Designations of origin and geographical indications of agricultural products


‘Raclette de Savoie’


EU Reference number: PGI-FR-02095-AM03 – 17 February 2026
                  

1.   Name(s)

‘Raclette de Savoie’
2.   Geographical indication type







☐


PDO










☑


PGI










☐


GI




3.   Country to which the defined geographical area belongs

France
4.   Description of the agricultural product

4.1.   Classification of the agricultural product in accordance with the Combined Nomenclature heading and code, as referred to in Article 6(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143


                  0406  – Cheese and curd
4.2.   Description of the agricultural product to which the registered name applies

‘Raclette de Savoie’ is a pressed, uncooked cheese, made from raw or thermised cow’s milk.
‘Raclette de Savoie’ comes in the form of a wheel with a diameter of 28 cm to 34 cm and a height at the outer rim of between 6 cm and 7,5 cm.
The total dry extract is greater than or equal to 56 %. The fat content (ratio of fat to dry matter) is between 48 % and 52 %. The salt content is less than 2,2 %;
‘Raclette de Savoie’ has a pH greater than or equal to 5,4 and an NH3 content greater than or equal to 50 mg/100 g of cheese.
‘Raclette de Savoie’ has a smeared rind that is yellow to brown in colour and a paste that is white to straw-yellow in colour.
The cheese may have a number of openings and has a firm and tender texture. When heated, it takes on a melting and creamy consistency. ‘Raclette de Savoie’ does not exude much oil when heated.
‘Raclette de Savoie’ is sold in the following formats:






—


as a wheel;










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as cut cheese: sliced into wedges;










—


in prepackaged units for sale to the consumer: sliced.




When intended for sale to the consumer in prepackaged units, ‘Raclette de Savoie’ may be made in a cuboid form measuring 28 cm to 34 cm in length and a height at the outer rim of between 6 cm and 7,5 cm.
4.3.   Derogations on sourcing of feed (for products of animal origin designated by a protected designation of origin only) and restrictions on sourcing of raw materials (for processed products designated by a protected geographical indication only)

The origin of the feed influences the composition of the milk, which in turn contributes to the organoleptic characteristics of ‘Raclette de Savoie’.
In addition, the feed for lactating cows must come exclusively from the geographical area in the case of the coarse fodder that makes up the basic diet. Roughage from outside the geographical area is limited to 4 kg of dry matter per lactating cow as a daily average throughout the year.
Only feed specified in a positive list is authorised in the dairy herd’s diet.
Only feed not labelled as genetically modified, or derived from products not labelled as genetically modified, is authorised in the dairy flock’s feed.
4.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

The dairy production, processing and maturing take place in the identified geographical area.
The production of milk intended for the production of ‘Raclette de Savoie’ in the geographical area is justified by the considerable sources of fodder in the area, which are used in the production of cheeses and which give the cheese its characteristic features.
4.5.   Specific rules concerning packaging, slicing, grating etc. of the agricultural product the registered name refers to

‘Raclette de Savoie’ is sold in the form of a wheel, as cut cheese (in wedges, sliced) or in prepackaged units for sale to the consumer (sliced).
4.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the agricultural product the registered name refers to

The labelling of cheeses bearing the protected geographical indication ‘Raclette de Savoie’ contains the following in the same visual field:






—


the registered name ‘Raclette de Savoie’;










—


the European Union PGI logo;




The labelling also includes the name of the certifying body.
4.7.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area covers the two departments of Savoie and Haute Savoie in full and the following municipalities in the Departments of Ain and Isère.
Department of Ain:
Anglefort, Béon, Billiat, Ceyzérieu, Chanay, Corbonod, Cressin-Rochefort, Culoz, Flaxieu, Injoux-Génissiat, Lavours, Léaz, Massignieu-de-Rives, Parves et Nattages, Pollieu, Saint-Martin-de-Bavel, Seyssel, Surjoux-Lhôpital, Talissieu, Valserhône, Villes, Virignin and Vongnes.
Department of Isère:
Entre-deux-Guiers, Miribel-les-Échelles, Saint-Christophe-sur-Guiers, Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse and Saint-Pierre-d’Entremont.
5.   Link with the geographical area


The causal link with the geographical origin is based on







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Reputation










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specific quality










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other characteristics





Summary of the link

In topographical and geological terms, the geographical area for ‘Raclette de Savoie’ is quite diverse. The terrain is at an altitude predominantly between 200 metres and 2 500 metres, often with deep soil from both old crystalline and limestone massifs.
The climate is typically mountainous: the winters are long and often harsh and the summers hot. With the exception of the valleys in the Maurienne and Tarentaise, which receive less rainfall on the whole, the annual rainfall in the geographical area is high, with an average of 1 000 mm and up to 1 500 mm at the base of the pre-Alpine mountain ranges. This characteristic of the geographical area favours good grass growth.
The geographical area’s soil composition and rainfall make it prime territory for high-quality grass. Both the hay meadows and pastures have a rich and diversified flora, typical of the Alpine mountain area.
In the Western part of the geographical area, the production of cereals and maize is also possible.
The history of ‘Raclette de Savoie’ is closely linked to that of the Alps. It is part of the history of livestock farming and cheese-making expertise in the Alps.
‘Raclette de Savoie’ has its origins in the Middle Ages, when the shepherds ate a ‘roasted cheese’, mainly in summer, namely a semi-wheel of cheese placed in front of a wood fire, which then melted.
It was only at the beginning of the twentieth century that the name ‘raclette’ appeared, in reference to the action of scraping (‘racler’) the melted surface of the cheese onto the potatoes on the plate.
‘Raclette de Savoie’ developed in the heart of a region dominated by grassland systems and livestock management based on the use of fodder sources and local breeds. This region also has a long-standing tradition of producing pressed cheeses incorporating specific cheese-making know-how and types of milk production adapted to this technology. On account of its average size, ‘Raclette de Savoie’ progressively came to complement the region’s other types of cheese. It was a way to conserve relatively small amounts of milk compared to larger-format cheeses.
This context, coupled with the socio-economic organisation of agriculture in the Savoie region which was historically based on the ‘fruitières’ system (the local name given to cheese-making cooperatives) managed by farmers, enabled the development of a cheese-making culture shared between farmers and cheese-makers.
‘Raclette de Savoie’ also benefited from the advent of winter tourism from the 1960s and 1970s and the industrial history of the Alps, with the birth of the raclette machine, thanks to the widespread availability of hydropower. The take-off of ‘Raclette de Savoie’ is thus linked to the raclette machines developed through a partnership between the Rippoz and Tefal companies in 1975 in Savoie. Mastery of the technology for gluing Teflon onto aluminium, as a replacement to melting over a wood fire, followed by the first electrical machines for the catering industry, led to the emergence of a new way to eat ‘Raclette de Savoie’, heated on individual plates.
The growth of winter sports mass tourism in the 1970s and the construction of the resorts created to meet the growing demand for this type of leisure activity contributed to giving ‘Raclette de Savoie’ its reputation as the cheese typically enjoyed on these occasions.
The production of milk intended for the production of ‘Raclette de Savoie’ is still based on the wide availability of grass in the geographical area and also on the continued tradition of raising traditional breeds: Abondance, Montbéliarde and Tarentaise. These breeds have demonstrated their ability to adjust to the physical and climate constraints of the environment: body type adapted to grazing on sloping pastures, heat tolerance, capacity for grazing in the summer and dry fodder in the winter.
Furthermore, the technologies used in the manufacturing of ‘Raclette de Savoie’ are adapted to the characteristics of the milk described above. The cheese-makers make the most of these characteristics and know how to adjust all the production parameters to obtain the specific characteristics of ‘Raclette de Savoie’. The control of the fat content is an important starting point which sometimes leads the cheese makers to partially skim the milk.
The seeding of milk also plays an important role, particularly the selection and management of the thermophilic flora. Removing the lactose and pressing are also key stages in the production process, which contribute to controlling the pH value. The cheese is traditionally matured for a minimum of eight weeks on wooden boards which promote a good protein breakdown in the cheese.
‘Raclette de Savoie’ is an average to large-sized wheel.
It is characterised by its creaminess and its firmness when cold.
‘Raclette de Savoie’ has a distinctive feature of being very spreadable and not exuding much oil when heated. It is also characterised by a melting character significantly higher than other raclettes.
In the mouth, ‘Raclette de Savoie’ is particularly creamy and not very sticky.
‘Raclette de Savoie’ owes its specificities to the expertise in producing milk and cheese in the geographical area.
Production of the milk in the geographical area means that optimum use can be made of grazing resources, as has been done for generations, and the milk can be obtained from traditional breeds. This milk, produced in large quantities thanks to a specific diet, is better suited to production of ‘Raclette de Savoie’ than that of other breeds raised in the same conditions and displays the following particular features: the curd obtained after adding the rennet is firmer and the cheese yield greater. It is thus particularly well-adapted to the specific format of ‘Raclette de Savoie’.
Furthermore, the cheese-making expertise in the production of ‘Raclette de Savoie’ has a certain impact on all the specificities of the product.
The mastery of the fat content directly affects the elasticity when warm, spreadability and low oil exudation of ‘Raclette de Savoie’.
Its pronounced meltability is also linked to the low percentage of L. lactates which is mainly due to the specificity of the sowing with thermophilic cultures and lactose removal.
The maturing process, which promotes a high level of protein breakdown, is reflected in the specific characteristics of the tender firmness of ‘Raclette de Savoie’ when cold.

Electronic (URL) reference to publication of the product specification


https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/boagri/document_administratif-10a4d6ec-61cb-44f3-b0a9-63ab3878dbb3



(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/2026/2639/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)