ANALYSIS OF THE STATUS OF FOOD AND DRINKS PROTECTED BY GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION SCHEMES IN ROMANIA AND EUROPEAN UNION

Food production is experiencing nowadays the transition to "smart" products which are processed by new protective techniques or minimally processed; there is also an increasing interest in traditional foods, which are perceived as healthier, and more environmentally friendly. In this regard, EU agricultural policies are based on specific measures for the entire food chain, aimed at reducing food waste and increasing sustainability; this has an essential role in protecting the availability, accessibility, and quality of agri-food products. In this paper, we focused on presenting the main categories of foods and drinks protected by geographical indication schemes PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), PGI (Protected Geographical Indication), TSG (Traditional Speciality Guaranteed), GI (Geographical Indication) at the EU and Romanian levels. We presented the statistics based on eAmbrosia EU and the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture database, the procedure for registration, and the role of this certification for the producers, community reputation, and branding.