AOC Appellation d origine controlee

The appellation d’origine controlee (AOC) (appellations of origin) label is an official Protected Geographical Indication which guarantees the origin of food traditional of France or Switzerland.  Both are recognized as part of protected designations of origin in Europe (PDO).  Appellations of origin are either trademarks or registered models and are an official certification of quality issued by a dependent of a Department and sanctioned by law enforcement fraud.

The AOC seeks to identify the product as an individual, then look into its authenticity and finally discover the typicality of its origin in terms of location. They guarantee their qualities and characteristics of their homeland, know-how of the producer (wines, ciders, cheeses, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, honey etc).

The anticipation and the reputation of a process and its name are too old to be a patent. The quantity and control of labelling products under AOC meets specifications validated in France by the INAO (Institut National des Appellations of Origin) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Switzerland by the ICO (the certification body Intercantonal) depending on the FOA (the Federal Office of Agriculture).

Recognize products
The purpose of these signs of quality is to make them easily recognizable. Cheese, for example, is either marked heel (red food dye), recognizable by their label or a casein (food material). The label indicates a number and the certifying body. In France, the color of the casein indicates classification: green for farm products and red for dairy products.

Examples of practice
Reform of the French wine industry

In July 2001, the Agriculture Minister Herve Gaymard launched the reform of the French wine industry by receiving the representatives of professional bodies who sit on boards of Onivins (Office National Interprofessionnel des vins).  It is borne out of the second biggest crisis; the first one was phylloxera in the 1860s when no region escaped the dramatic fall in sales and bankruptcies number.

Three causes are responsible for the current situation: competition from foreign wines; the global economy and the extreme complexity of the French production and its inadequacy to foreign markets. The worst is the best rub and consumers are bewildered at the labels of French wines and their classification between table wines, the names of three wines (departmental, regional and zone), the AOVDQS, the AOC and the raw.

Rene Renou, president of the Committee of wines and spirits has the responsibility for AOC and is the author of a proposed radical reform, announced: “If we do not clean ourselves, the market will do in our place. The consumer does not find it; he must regain his confidence and produce ever better wines.”  Exports fell 3% in 2003 and first quarter 2004, they recorded a 7% drop in value and 4.6% in volume compared to the first quarter 2003.

The proposed new organization is structured around two main product groups:
Those whose bid is built on the land and typicality, such as AOC (“Marketing of the Offer”). Those able to meet the expectations of each class of consumers were able to adapt to the demands of international markets (marketing application), where competition is tougher, and where we will offer wines identifiable by their grape variety or by their brand, and who will have access to new technologies, such as the use of wood chips.

European harmonization

The Commission of the European Union who wished to harmonize the “official signs of quality,” can not create a regional label. They are currently at number six. Thus, PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) correspond to the European level to regional labels. Meanwhile, the AOC are the European equivalent PDO (Protected Designation of Origin). Since 2002, a label or AOC can not exist without being automatically enrolled respectively by PGI or PDO.