Geographical Indications

Within the last decade the food industry experienced a great quality turn away from industrially produced agricultural to alternative goods labelled for example fair trade or organic farming. Geographical Indication (GI) is also one of those alternative food designations. There are various terms meeting the meaning of GI. The Spanish wine Rioja is designated with the label Denominación the Origen Controlada (DOC); the Italian cheese Parmigiono Reggiano is marked with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and the Mexican spirit Tequila is considered as an Appellation of Origen (AO). In this paper I am going to use Geographical Indication as generic term, since the others refer to particular protection systems of different countries. Defining the features of GIs in general, I am going to examine their functions and benefits. Comparing the use of Geographical Indications in Mexico and Germany I want to analyse, if GI products meet the needs of consumers in today’s globalized market. Drawing the final conclusion I am going to discuss possible ideas of improvement of the present GI protection systems.