From Localized Products to Geographical Indications - Ressources ...

Renown is a polymorphous concept that is not easy to define. For
some, it means the same as reputation; for others, it has a related but distinct
meaning. The food-processing industry marketing is a case in point.
Always an active exponent of value-adding through market segmentation,
the food processing sector uses analytical methods to bring out the
accepted character of a product by defining its reknown as either ‘spontaneous’,
‘implied’ or ‘supported’. Product reputation, on the other hand, is
directly related to what this accepted character implies. The aim is to find
out not only whether a product is well known, but also why and how. Such
niceties may well leave you a touch sceptical but they nonetheless form
part of strategically targeted market research. PGI applicants often use
studies of reknown in support of their product’s alleged reputation. These
days, products can become renowned virtually overnight thanks to targeted
advertising campaigns that create an illusion of strong cultural
roots. A good example is Aoste ham, Aoste being in fact just a trademark.
Renown and reputation are linked to commercial recognition. The
market forces at work in towns and cities will tend to highlight certain
products but overlook others – which will remain unknown but continue
to exist nonetheless. The relationship between town and country is a particularly
important factor when considering the question of renown and
status. Products manufactured in scattered villages and hamlets are often
named after the place where they are marketed (for instance, the nearest
town). Examples are Bayonne ham and Bleu de Sassenage cheese.
Following the tracks
History – as a discipline – cannot always account for the historical
depth of these products because the sources on which that research
depends were sometimes subject to the food preferences of the trendsetters
of the time. Which means, of course, that many of these products
will have received little or no mention in the literature. However delicious
a particular cheese or ham, it will remain anonymous if consumption
remains confined to the tight-knit community that produces it. Another
problem is that many localized products were originally produced for
domestic consumption within the context of subsistence. All of this
explains why few records have been put down in writing over the centuries,
and why those that do exist tend to be somewhat unreliable as a
means of improving our understanding of these products and clarifying
their historical authenticity. Written records may help to place localized
products in a context that makes it easier to understand the place they
occupy but cannot always be trusted to shed light on the product itself. In
some cases too, the information contained in these ancient records
should be viewed with caution since it may be presented out of context in
order to substantiate claims of product anteriority.
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