FQS promotes unique qualities and characteristics found in foods
The EU-funded project Strength2Food has recently launched the first Strategic Guide on Sustainable Food Quality Schemes (FQS) due to 5-year research at the European level.
Presented on the occasion of World Intellectual Property Day, the tool will allow practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to explore the links between sustainability and FQS. It also aims to increase consumers’ awareness of the relationships between FQS, public goods and sustainability, and boost their willingness to pay for services embedded in FQS products.
With the University of Parma, Italy, leading an international team of researchers from academia, public and private sector, the guide showcases the positive impacts of FQS linked to responsible production and consumption practices.
Based on the results of 26 benchmarked value chains, involving different FQS such as organic, Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) in 14 countries, the guide presents a toolbox to explore the sustainability performance of FQS and their potential. The research identified three main dimensions of public goods linked to FQS production: a) cultural and heritage preservation; b) socio-economic and c) natural resources.
At the European level, both EU quality policy and Public Sector Food Procurement have recently witnessed important reforms to protect the names and GIs of specific products and promote their unique qualities and characteristics linked to their geographical origin and traditional know-how. Food Quality Schemes (FQS) promote unique qualities and characteristics found in foods, wherein GIs have emerged as prime examples of food production systems incorporating traditional and sustainable practices.