The EU-funded project Strength2Food has launched the first Strategic Guide on Sustainable Food Quality Schemes (FQS) due to a five-year research program at 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.

“It is wonderful to demonstrate Strength2Food research relating to geographical indications – a form of intellectual property protection – that can benefit not just farmers but also local communities, consumers and the environment,” says Prof. Matthew Gorton, Strength2Food project coordinator.

“Through collaboration between researchers and food producers in Europe and Asia, we draw together examples of the economic, social and environmental benefits of geographical indications, to inspire others as to what might be possible.”

Positive impacts of FQS
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.

Intellectual property rights
Since 1970, World Intellectual Property Day has represented a unique opportunity to raise awareness of the central role that intellectual property and creativity play in different sectors of daily life, from the arts and music to technological innovation, to develop societies across the globe. 

In this context, Geographical Indications (GIs) establish intellectual property rights for specific products such as agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks and industrial products, whose qualities are specifically linked to their area of production, as they entail essential benefits from a socio-economic point of view.

Not only do GIs provide a way for businesses to leverage the value of their geographically unique products, but they also enable consumers to trust and distinguish quality products.

EU quality policy and FQS
At the European level, both EU quality policy and Public Sector Food Procurement have recently witnessed essential reforms to protect the names and GIs of specific products and promote their unique qualities and characteristics linked to their geographical origin.

FQS promotes unique qualities and characteristics found in foods, wherin GIs have emerged as prime examples of food production systems incorporating traditional and sustainable practices.

The FQS Guide launch encompasses the positive impacts or externalities that are not reimbursed by the market (the so-called Public Goods), whose role in achieving sustainability is significant but still not directly visible to consumers nor economically valued. 

The project’s results and recommendations will be presented at the projects final conference on May 20.