List of United Kingdom food and drink products with protected status
A number of United Kingdom food and drink products have been granted protected geographical status under United Kingdom law and European Union law. Protection of geographical indications is granted to names that indicate geographical origin both inside and outside the United Kingdom and the European Union. A number of geographical indications for food and drink products originating in the Crown dependencies, which are not part of the UK or the EU, are also protected under UK and EU law. These are also listed in this article.
The stated purpose of the quality schemes is to protect the reputation of regional products, promote traditional and agricultural activity and to eliminate non-genuine products, which may mislead consumers or be of inferior or different character; for example, producers cannot refer to their product as Scotch whisky unless it has been produced within Scotland, following particular methods. The quality schemes include two types of geographical indicators: "protected designation of origin" and "protected geographical indication" . These two types of designations are available for food, agricultural products and wines. For spirit drinks and aromatised wine, the equivalent designation to a PGI is called a "geographical indication". In addition, the quality schemes also include "traditional specialities guaranteed", which are designed to promote and protect names of quality agricultural products and foodstuffs without requiring any reference to geographical origin.
The United Kingdom and the Crown dependencies together have a total of 65 products with protected status. This is relatively few when compared with Portugal, France and Italy. However, the UK and Crown dependencies have considerably more designations than many other countries, including Ireland, Sweden, Turkey, Austria, or the United States, Japan or Korea. Most of the products hold either PGI or PDO status, with only two products being designated as TSG.
This list, excepting "spirit drinks", is compiled according to the Database of Origin and Registration and E-Bacchus, European Commission databases of all registered products, as well as all products which were formerly registered or for which registration has been applied. The majority of products that hold protected status are foodstuffs fit for human consumption, including cheeses, fresh meat and offal, meat products, fish and molluscs, fruit and vegetables, wines and spirit drinks. While other agricultural products can be included, native Shetland wool is the only non-edible UK product name to hold protected status in the UK and the EU.
Legislation
The schemes were introduced by the European Union, while the United Kingdom was a member, in 1993. From 2012 they were governed by Regulation No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council, in part to overhaul and regulate the protected status system. Spirits, fortified wines and aromatised wines, described by the European Commission as "spirit drinks", were governed by a separate regulation, Regulation No 110/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council.As a result of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union, the schemes are now governed by UK law, but registration remains the responsibility of the EU until the end of the transition period on 1 January 2021.
The UK employs three different protected status schemes, which provide differing levels and types of protection:
- Protected Designation of Origin : this designation covers products that are "produced, processed and prepared" in a specific area, using a particular, usually traditional, method.
- Protected Geographical Indication : this designation covers products whose "production, processing or preparation" takes places in a specific area.
- Traditional Speciality Guaranteed : this designation covers products with a "traditional character" or "customary names", distinguishing them from similar products. Unlike PDO and PGI, these products do not need to be connected to a specific area or method of production. In order to be considered for TSG status, a product must demonstrate that the materials and methods used in its production has been consistent for a minimum of 30 years.
Products with protected status
Fresh meat (and offal)
Meat products (cooked, salted, smoked, etc.)
Cheeses
Other products of animal origin (eggs, honey, various dairy products etc.)
| Product | Designation | Year Awarded | Notes |
| Cornish clotted cream | PDO | 1998 | Limited to products produced, processed and prepared from milk produced in Cornwall and containing a minimum butterfat content of 55%. |