Italy seeks protection for world's most costly spice
Italian government has asked the European Commission to rubberstamp
saffron from Sardinia with Protected designation of
origin (PDO) status.
If successful, PDO-labelled saffron could arguably command higher prices, claiming high colouring (crocin), taste (picrocrocin) and aromatic (safranal) properties. The European Commission published the Italian application on Wednesday; if desired, European members now have six months to send the Commission their objections. While prices for basic commodities, such as wheat, have soared in recent months, saffron still remains one of the most expensive ingredients on the world food market. Favoured for its colouring (luminous yellow-orange), flavouring and aromatic properties, saffron is harvested from the stigma part of the crocus flower (Crocus sativus). But infinitisimally labour intensive, between 50,000-75,000 flowers will produce a mere 0.45 kilos of dry saffron; as a result, at all time price hights the spice has known figures of €7,500 per kilo. Approximately 210 tons of saffron are produced annually across the globe. Iran, which produces 184 (81 per cent) tons of total production, ranks first in the world production. Recent reports from Iranian media (IranMania) claim that last year saffron prices increased fivefold to $1,945 (1254euros) per kilo. Italy counts among the minor producers of saffron, that includes Spain, India, Greece, Azerbaijan and Morocco. According to figures from New Zealand's Crop & Food Research firm, the average yield for saffron in Italy is just 10-16 kilos per hectare. Italy applied to the Commission for Protected designation of origin (PDO) status for its 'Zafferano di Sardegna' (saffron from Sardinia) product. PDO's, inscribed in European law, are designed to protect the reputation of regional foods. They aim to eliminate unfair competition arising from non-genuine products of inferior quality that could mislead the consumer. Italy claims the special properties of its Sardinian saffron, defined as its colouring power, eutectic effects and aromatic properties, stem directly from the morphological characteristics, soil and climate of the production area. If their application is successful, the saffron, cultivated apparently in Sardinia since the Phoenicians, will be marketed with a specific label bearing the 'Zafferano di Sardegna' PDO logo.
