Veronica ȚĂRAN BACIU1, Dănuț UNGUREANU2
1 National Agency for the Mountain Area Vatra Dornei, Romania
E-mail: veronica.baciu@azm.gov.ro
2 Romanian Academy – National Institute of Economic Research – Centre for Mountain Economy Vatra Dornei, Romania
E-mail: danut_u@yahoo.com
DOI: https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.10397446
Abstract
The mountain products are an integral part of the mountain territories’ image and are often associated by the consumers with the landscapes, customs and local traditions. The term “mountain” is associated with the idea of purity, quality and authenticity. The mountain area is recognized for its low pollution, which makes the food originating from this area more valuable. This type of food is healthier, because the livestock in the mountain area feeds on a larger variety of plants, some of which are medicinal.
The raw materials, as well as the food for the livestock from the mountain area, help maintain the biodiversity and the traditional agricultural practices, ensure safety of the food, they are fresh and highly qualitative, they contribute to the development of the local economy by creating employment and they raise the standard of living. European legislation regulating the quality scheme “Mountain product”: Reg. (EU) 1151/2012 regarding conditions of use of the optional quality term “mountain product”, reserving the term “mountain product” for food products produced and processed in the mountains; Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 665/2014 of 11 March 2014 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to conditions of use of the optional quality term “mountain product”.
National legislation: Government Decision no. 506 of 20 July 2016 with regard to establishing the institutional framework and certain measures to apply the provisions of the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 665/2014; Order No. 174/2021 with regards to the approval of the Procedure of verification of conformity of the data in the tender for the right to use the quality term “mountain product” and for the control to verify the compliance with European and national legislation by the economic operators that have been granted the right to use the respective quality term.
Keywords:
mountain area, mountain product, European legislation, national legislation