The South Tyrol seal of quality is used to mark certified, high-quality South Tyrolean food and agricultural products.
Introduction
The South Tyrol seal of quality represents utmost quality. It guarantees that products bearing the seal actually come from South Tyrol. Manufacturers can apply for the seal, which will be awarded if they meet rigorous quality criteria and undergo a certification process. The benefits for manufacturers are being recognised as credible partners and their brand receives a boost in visibility – which translates into a competitive advantage.
The rules
Quality specifications
To receive the South Tyrol seal of quality, every product group has to meet a set of specifications which define quality criteria such as
- quality and origin criteria
- control provisions
- sanctions
- uses of the seal
The criteria used to award the South Tyrol seal of quality are considerably more rigorous than the corresponding national or EU regulations.
Background information on the legal framework can be found in the relevant law (in German or Italian):
Provincial Law of 22 December 2005, No. 12.
Specifications can be downloaded (in German or Italian) at: www.qualitaet-suedtirol.com.
Quality Message First
Rules for using the seal of quality
Certain rules apply when advertising South Tyrolean food products:
1. Using the “South Tyrol” indication of origin
Food products can only bear the “South Tyrol” indication of origin if they are funded, directly or indirectly, with public money. This includes funding in the form of a public brand like the South Tyrol seal of quality or the South Tyrol brand.
2. PGI or PDO products
The EU acknowledges the link between origin and quality, which is what products with a protected geographical indication (PGI) or a protected designation of origin (PDO) stand for. Such products may only use the registered origin – for example “Speck Alto Adige PGI”.
3. Products which do not bear a PGI or a PDO label
Products may refer to their origin even without a PGI or a PDO. However, the EU does not acknowledge any connection between their origin and quality. The South Tyrol seal of quality was developed for these products; the seal may only be used by products that meet certain quality requirements.
4. Products without a South Tyrol seal of quality, PGI or PDO
Products that do not bear a seal of quality, a PGI or a PDO cannot make any reference to their origin (see point 1).
5. Visibility of the product’s quality
For products bearing the seal of quality, it must be placed in the foreground. Consumers should not be motivated mainly by references made to the product’s origin when they make their purchases. Indeed, the product’s origin may only be conveyed as a secondary advertising message. The exception to the rule is when the “certified quality” is highlighted in another way. To assess whether the message about quality has utmost visibility, an overall assessment of the text and/or symbols (including images and illustrations) is made. This applies to advertisements, TV commercials, and packaging.
6. Advertising measures for individual companies
Advertising strategies or tools which favour individual entrepreneurs or manufacturers cannot be promoted – either directly or indirectly. Publicly funded advertising campaigns cannot make reference to specific companies or their products.
Product groups
- Berries and stone fruit
- Beer
- Bread, baked goods, pasta, cereals, and milled products
- Free-range eggs
- Meat and sausages
- Vegetables and potatoes
- Grappa
- Honey
- Herbs and spices
- Milk and dairy products
- Fruit products: apple juice, apple vinegar, apple cider, dried fruit, fruit spreads, and preserves
- Südtiroler Apfel PGI (apples)
- Speck Alto Adige PGI (smoked ham)
- Alto Adige PDO Wine (wine)
- Schüttelbrot Alto Adige PGI (local rye bread)
The following product has a protected designation of origin:
- Stelvio PDO (cheese)
Regular controls
Audits are essential to ensure the agricultural products’ high quality. After the initial audit, which is carried out when someone applies for the seal of quality, an additional yearly audit is carried out. Its aim is to assess, among other criteria, the company’s hygiene and technical equipment. The audit aiming to assess a product’s origin is carried out via a traceability analysis, document control, and product control using laboratory analyses and/or sensory tests.
Product groups
Berries and stone fruit
Grown in nature, benefiting from the crisp mountain hair, and hand-picked. Rigorous quality criteria guarantee the berries and fruits’ size, sweetness, and intense flavour. This product group has borne the South Tyrol seal of quality since 2005.
Beer
The hallmarks of South Tyrolean beers are that they are naturally cloudy, have a big head and hoppy aroma and are made with regional malt and water. This product group has borne the seal of quality since 2013.
Bread, baked goods, pasta, cereals, and milled products
A crunchy crust, soft crumb, and full flavour. South Tyrolean bread and baked goods boast traditional varieties and a classic, the apple strudel. This product group has borne the South Tyrol seal of quality since 2005.
Free-range eggs
Free-range hens, natural feed, and rigorous controls guarantee fresh eggs from species-appropriate husbandry. This product group has borne the South Tyrol seal of quality since 2013.
Meat and sausages
Regionally sourced, non-GMO, and ethically farmed. This product group has borne the South Tyrol seal of quality since 2010 for meat and since 2024 for its Kaminwurzen sausages.
Vegetables and potatoes
Farmed and harvested in the mountains, South Tyrolean vegetables and potatoes boast an intense flavour and are strictly regulated. This product group has borne the South Tyrol seal of quality since 2005 (asparagus joined the family in 2014).
Grappa
Traditional, pure grape marc spirit made from regional grape marc, which is produced in local distilleries without additives. South Tyrolean grappa has carried the seal of quality since 2005.
Herbs and spices
Grown in the mountains, benefiting from its crisp air, and harvested at their peak, which coincides when they contain the most active ingredients. This product group has borne the quality mark since 2007.
Honey
Collected in the South Tyrolean forests, this honey sports a gold label, boasts a unique variety of flavours, and is strictly regulated. No additives. This product group has borne the South Tyrol seal of quality since 2005.
Milk and dairy products
Non-GMO, freshly processed, and strictly regulated. South Tyrolean dairy products such as yoghurt, mozzarella, and cheese are sourced from mountain farms. This product group has borne the South Tyrol seal of quality since 2005.
Fruits
Tradition. Quality. Sustainability. South Tyrolean fruits marry sustainable agriculture, expertise, and variety, delivering high-quality apples, juices, jams, and ciders bearing the South Tyrol seal of quality.
Audits
An open audit programme ensures the agricultural and food products’ high quality. The programme is carried out by an independent and accredited supervisory body which analyses the individual product category’s specifications. The audit request is issued by the association, organisation or consortium of the respective sector. The audit must always be carried out in line with applicable European legislation.
Admission audit
An admission audit will be carried out after submitting the application for the seal of quality to the Trade Department. The audit will assess whether your company has the sufficient conditions – in terms of space, hygiene, and equipment – to produce, store, package, fill and sell products to the quality standards and levels required.
Regular audits
In the following years, your company will be regularly audited. These audits are divided into several phases:
1. Business tour
During the tour, the auditors will assess your company’s hygiene and technical equipment.
2. Origin audit
Thanks to a special traceability system, the auditors will assess whether the raw materials used to make your products actually come from South Tyrol.
3. Document control
The auditors will assess your operations log for processing plant protection and maintenance measures. Your records must be complete, comprehensible, and without gaps. Soil analyses or maintenance plans can also be assessed if necessary.
4. Product control
During product inspection, the external appearance is evaluated first. Subsequently, product samples are analyzed in the laboratory (e.g., for maximum residue levels). For certain products, sensory values are also assessed.
The specialist committee
All products bearing a South Tyrol seal of quality or those products that, pursuant to the law, are part of this category have their own specialist committee. It comprises up to nine members which mostly include representatives of the producers bearing quality labels.
The specialist committees’ tasks:
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Drafting the quality and origin criteria specifications.
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Developing the template for the brand usage contract.
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Creating an annual advertising programme.
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Determining how and to what extent brand licensees must contribute to advertising costs.
Register
The application for the use of the South Tyrol Seal of Quality is submitted via www.civis.bz.it (available only in German or Italian).
Products with a European designation of origin
Speck Alto Adige PGI
Genuine Speck Alto Adige PGI is produced using traditional methods. It bears the EU's protected geographical indication (PGI) seal of quality. Rigorous controls guarantee the utmost quality.
Alto Adige PDO Wine
South Tyrol has grown wine for centuries. Genuine South Tyrolean varieties and wines bear the PDO seal as a mark of highest quality.
Südtiroler Apfel PGI
South Tyrolean apples which bear a PGI label can prove their quality and origin. 6,000 farmers grow these with great passion in South Tyrol’s apple orchards.
Schüttelbrot Alto Adige PGI
Schüttelbrot, a traditional rye bread, is unique and bears a PGI seal of quality, which guarantees its authenticity, that it is made according to traditional methods, its utmost quality, and that it comes from the region.
Contact us
Brand Management
We will be happy to answer all your questions about the South Tyrol brand and the registration process on the South Tyrol brand portal.