For the aforementioned reasons, companies located in the designated territory aim to protect and promote their specific local production. This could inevitably have repercussions for the entire reference market and affect competition between operators. The need for protection is not inherently negative, nor does it hinder the free-market logic that permeates the European Union. On the contrary, in a dynamic and constantly evolving market where balances are in a state of constant flux and consumers have taken on a central role, the aforementioned is entirely natural and should be viewed as a means of stimulating a competitive system that leads to greater efficiency. In this context, it is easy to see how production regulations can be used to preserve and document the traditional production techniques of a food product in a specific region. These traditions may change over time to keep pace with technological innovations affecting production processes, to ensure greater respect for the environment and landscape, to respond to increasing consumer demand for quality products and to ensure adequate differentiation in the production market. All of these changes are compatible with the objectives identified by the European treaties7. In the sector of quality food production, companies often register a new PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) or PGI (Protected Geographical Indication), which are public law certifications recognised by a European Commission measure, as mentioned above. These certifications belong to the world of quality production and describe a specific link between production and territory. Thanks to its unique environmental conditions and traditional processing techniques, the territory is able to impart specific organoleptic properties to the food. As it is not possible to provide an exhaustive overview of the characteristics of each designation here, it is sufficient to say that, for PDOs, the entire production cycle must take place within a specific territory. For PGIs, at least one stage of production must take place within the territory, particularly the stage that gives the product its specific properties or reputation. The production specification plays a decisive role within the PDO regulations. This document contains all the requirements that must be met for a product to be marketed under that specific designation. Albisinni, Strumentario di diritto alimentare europeo, Utet, Torino, 2020, p. 291; A. Germano, M.P. Ragionieri, Diritto agroalimentare, Giappichelli, Torino, p. 139; L. Costato, P. Borghi, S. Rizzioli, V. Paganizza, L. Salvi, Compendio di diritto alimentare, CEDAM, 2022, p. 299. 7 First and foremost, Article 3 TFEU, where paragraph 3 sets out the objectives of the internal market and identifies its limits, but also Article 39 TFEU, which outlines the objectives of European agricultural policy. 399 QUALITY FOOD PRODUCTION: BETWEEN PROTECTION NEEDS
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