Essen und Landwirtschaft

Greek Agricultural Products

Greece enjoys a huge variety of agricultural products. Olives and olive oil, cheeses, wines, mastic, saffron etc. are but a few of the products that have won international acclaim as Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and received important distinctions for their quality and particularly delectable characteristics. These are a result not only of the richness of the Greek soil, but also the passion and traditional knowledge handed down through the generations to their producers.

Greece ranks among the first positions in the EU, concerning the list of agricultural products registered as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI) or Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) products, with approximately 94 entries. These products are olive oils, table olives, cheese, honey, fruits, vegetables, cereals, bread, pastry, fish and related products, other products of animal origin, gums and natural resins, essential oils and other products.

This EU system ensures that only products genuinely originating in a specific region are allowed in commerce identified as such.  The purpose of this system is to protect the reputation of the regional foods, promote rural and agricultural activity, help producers obtain a premium price for their authentic products, and eliminate the unfair competition and misleading of consumers by non-genuine products, which may be of inferior quality or of different flavor.

In a recent initiative, called “agricultural products basket”, already known in Europe, Greek regions are trying to present and promote to the wider public, both domestic and international, their quality products and mainly those characterized as PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication).

According to this initiative, supported by the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, the “agricultural products basket” may contain products of animal and plant origin (cereals, pome fruits, stone fruits, legumes, wine, herbs - medicinal plants, fodder plants, products made from goat milk and meat, mushrooms, fish, traditional products etc.) in order to establish a regional identity.