Geographical indications compliance (PDO/PGI) · Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012
Your grip on the PDO/PGI specification, measured and turned into an action plan.
10 themes, a 5-level scale. And the action that moves each level to the next.
The framework’s 10 themes, already written from L1 to L5. One company, one business unit, or 300 at once.
Geographical indications compliance (PDO/PGI) · Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012
10 themes, 5-level scale.
Nordhavn Industries
53 / 100
They measure their maturity with Datamensio
An example
This could be your situation.
Take one company as an example: three sites, three spreadsheets, no shared answer.
Nobody can consolidate.
Nordhavn Industries, 2,400 people in Hamburg, Lyon and Porto. A client asks where the group stands. Each site answers in its own spreadsheet, with its own scales.
Three weeks, a single base.
One Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council assessment launched across all three sites at once, from the managers’ interview notes. The framework was already written, its 10 themes and levels L1 to L5 too.
Two costs avoided before being committed.
A score of 53 out of 100, with the gap concentrated on three themes. The AI companion spotted that two actions duplicated those of another audit. The committee report took one sentence to request.
What it saved them
- 3sites measured on the same base, instead of three questionnaires to reconcile
- 2duplicate actions caught before the spend
- 1committee report, with no manual rework
These figures are an example. They could be yours.
The standard imposes processes. Datamensio says where you stand.
01
The framework is already written
Themes, questions and levels L1 to L5, all written. You do not start from an empty spreadsheet.
02
The score lands the same day
Online, by self-assessment link or in interview. Theme by theme, comparable over time.
03
The gap becomes a costed plan
Every step up carries its action. The AI prioritises on expected effect, not on the order of the standard.
04
Progress can be demonstrated
Campaign after campaign, against your target and against your own past. That is what your board asks for.
The maturity scale
One level, the next, and the action that links the two.
This mechanism, a level, the level above, and the action linking the two, is what turns a finding into a trajectory.
Is the location of production stages required within the delimited area demonstrable for every batch?
- N1
No record links production stages to a location. Location relies on team knowledge.
- N2
Records exist for the main stages, but they are incomplete for service providers and periods of high activity.
- N3
Every required stage is recorded with its place of performance, including service providers. Batch files can be reconstructed on request.
- N4
Location is checked at a set frequency by sampling batch files, gaps are logged and dealt with through verification of effectiveness.
- N5
Records are used routinely to anticipate risks, reviewed at every change to the specification or industrial set-up, with documented tracking of revisions.
Action to move from L2 to L3
Add a mandatory location field to the batch file for each required stage, extend the requirement to service contracts, and check completeness on a sample of batches during the monthly quality review.
« With Datamensio, we meet our objectives far more efficiently. The ERDF inspection services and our supervising ministry particularly appreciated an approach that gives them reliable data. »
Director, CCI 94CCI Île-de-France
« We believe this is the most suitable solution to scale our transformation project and measure impact according to our needs. »
Maja SucekChief Operating Officer, Interreg Danube
Rarely on its own
Frameworks combine. Put several together to cover your business, or have the AI write yours.
Take your first measurement
What this framework covers
Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 organises the quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs. It defines the protected designation of origin, where every stage of production takes place within the delimited area, the protected geographical indication, for which at least one stage takes place there, and the traditional speciality guaranteed, which rests on a traditional recipe or method of production with no geographical link. It sets out the content of the product specification, the registration and opposition procedure, the rules protecting the name, the obligation to verify compliance with the specification before placing on the market, and the conditions for using the Union symbols.
The difficulty is not understanding the regulation, it is demonstrating on an ongoing basis that production complies with the registered specification. Are all operators declared to the producer group and the control body, including new workshops and subcontractors? Are proofs of raw material provenance and of stages carried out within the delimited area reconstructable throughout the product’s shelf life? Are gaps found during internal and external controls dealt with through to verification of effectiveness, or filed away after the first written response?
A useful point of context: the 2024 reform reorganised the European framework for geographical indications, with a dedicated regulation for agricultural and food GIs and a strengthened role for producer groups, notably over managing the name and tackling misuse, including online. The foundation stays the same from an operator’s standpoint: an enforceable specification, verification by a competent authority or an accredited delegated body, and traceability linking every batch to the declared area and stages. Another common confusion: a geographical indication is neither a trademark nor a taste quality label, and it does not exempt anyone from hygiene or food safety obligations.
The maturity assessment answers a different question from an official control. A control asks: is the specification met, yes or no, for this batch and this site. The assessment asks: at what level of maturity does your set-up sit, and what precise action moves you up a level. It confers no recognition and does not replace verification by the authorised body. It prepares for that verification and prioritises the work.
In Datamensio, the framework is ready to use. You can also adapt it: the AI adjusts the themes, questions and levels, or builds a variant from your product specification and control plans, sector by sector.
Reference standard: Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council
The themes assessed
Mastery of the product specification
Knowledge of the version in force, dissemination to relevant teams, translation into work instructions, handling of amendment requests and transition periods.
Geographical area and production stages
Applied delimitation, effective location of required stages, cases of subcontractors and service providers, proof of compliance for operations carried out off site.
Raw materials and link to origin
Qualification of suppliers and sourcing areas, breeds, varieties, prescribed feeding or growing conditions, documentation of the link to terroir or tradition.
Traceability and batch identification
Batch identification from raw material to finished product, separation of protected and non-protected flows, mass balances, reconstruction in the event of a control or recall.
Processes and product characteristics
Compliance with parameters imposed by the specification, ageing or maturation times, testing plan, organoleptic assessment, handling of non-conforming products.
Labelling, protected name and Union symbols
Mandatory mentions, use of the PDO, PGI or TSG symbol, consistency with the registered name, artwork validation, control of promotional materials and online sales.
Operator declaration and relationship with control bodies
Declaration of activity to the producer group and the competent authority or delegated body, upkeep of authorisations, preparation for visits, follow-up on findings.
Self-checks and internal controls
Internal control plan, frequencies, assessor competence, associated records, alignment with the approved control plan.
Name protection and misuse monitoring
Monitoring of uses and evocations of the name, reports to authorities and the producer group, follow-up on actions taken, informing distributors.
Governance, competence and improvement
Roles and responsibilities, operator training, periodic review of the set-up, use of gaps and comparison of results over time.
A short version of the framework is available for the online self-assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Does this assessment grant PDO or PGI status?
No. Registering a name is a matter for an application submitted by a producer group to the member state and then the European Commission, and verification of compliance with the specification belongs to the competent authority or the delegated body. The assessment measures the maturity of your set-up and prepares for those milestones.
What is the difference from a specification compliance control?
A control rules on a batch, a site, a requirement: compliant or not. The assessment places your practices on a maturity scale and points to the action that moves you up a level. The two are complementary: the assessment prioritises the work before the control, the control validates it.
How long does the assessment take?
The short version can be completed in around thirty minutes by a quality manager. The full version, run collaboratively with procurement, production and legal, generally takes one to two weeks, most of the time spent gathering evidence.
Can the framework be adapted to our sector?
Yes. Requirements vary widely by product: cheese, cured meat, oil, spirit drink, bakery product. You can change the questions, levels and themes, and the AI builds a variant from your product specification and control plan.
Can several sites or operators from the same producer group be compared?
Yes. Assessments are run at scale on the same framework, then compared across business units or operators, and over time. The AI groups recurring gaps into a consolidated roadmap rather than separate action plans.
How does this framework fit with food safety requirements?
A geographical indication does not exempt anyone from hygiene, traceability or official control obligations. The PDO/PGI assessment covers the link to origin and compliance with the specification. A cross-cutting roadmap allows it to be combined with the 178/2002, 852/2004 and 2017/625 assessments without duplicating actions.
Where is the data hosted?
In France, at OVH, with backup at Scaleway. No transfer outside the European Union. The AI models used can be selected, including from European solutions.