Typical products of animal origin, in particular cheeses and fresh and cooked meats, are in most cases the result of the evolution in time of agrarian production systems. In the Mediterranean they have been influenced, in many cases, by the particular environment in which they developed;from highland gratings to transhuming conditions. In general the production of animal origin are sustained by three components : a breed, a territory and a physical environment, and also a specific technology for the processed products. This is though only a part of the picture as the products are also the result of seasonal influences and the accompanying way of life, religions or family feasts and culinary traditions. History tells us thorough, that the only products that survived the pressure of time and are still with us, are those that evolved and adapted to technical constraints and socio-economic changes. Unfortunately the actual situation of these products is difficult if not marginal. They give sometimes the impression of belonging to an obsolete culture in opposition to the slogans concluded by the major agro-food sector groups which, in the past decades, oriented the consumers in the direction of a number of dominant values such as product standardisation, continuity of the product's taste through the year and a sort of aversion to the more marked typical tastes. Their economic weight allow them to use to the best new scientific advances, influence research policies and apply very efficient commercial and marketing methods. Still, typical products have a good notoriety in the eyes of the consumers who look for originality and authenticity. They interest the agro-food industry which tries to imitate them, to delocalize them and to change their process; this in some cases fringes to usurpation. The policy of protecting these products and their notoriety, also through European legislation, is most useful. In the future, as was the case in the past, typical dairy and meat products will not be able to hold out to their markets or develop them, except if they are capable of holding their commercial ground, adapt to the market's needs and demands without losing their specificity, originality and authenticity. For this, it is important that in the professional structures which must promote typical products, all the interested parties are represented and actively involved. These organisations must be active and open allowing for continuous exchange between all structures that have the same or comparable objectives. The consumers must be always correctly and clearly informed despite the complexity of rules and regulations and get a message guaranteeing origin, traceability and authenticity of the product. The relevant states structures, both regional and national, must be aware of their role and possible actions of accompanying support, but also information to the consumers. These products have a culture component which all actors, from the consumers to the state, must defend as the laws of the market cannot be the only arbiters of their future.
