Mr Matthew Rippon
PhD student

School of Geography,
Queen Mary, University of London,
Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS.

E-mail: m.j.rippon@qmul.ac.uk

Keywords.
Geographical Indications, Protected Food Names, Protected Designation of Origin, Protected Geographical Indication, Traditional Speciality Guaranteed, authenticity, quality, traditional methods of production, ethical production.

Geographical Indications
Geographical Indications – known in the United Kingdom as Protected Food Names (PFNs) – have been defined by the World Trade Organization as “indications that identify a good where a given quality, reputation, or other characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographical origin.”  PFNs in the UK include Cornish Clotted Cream, Melton Mowbray Pork Pies, Stilton Cheese, Welsh Beef, Whitstable Oysters, and Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb.

Producers of each PFN have the right to use the name providing two important qualifications are met.  First, each producer must create the product within a clearly defined territory.  The borders of this territory are articulated in the registration documents.  Producers of the same type of food external to the defined place cannot legally use the protected name.  Second, the product must be of high quality and produced in a regulated manner.  PFNs are qualified in the marketplace as superior to other products of the same genre.  Their status can allow vendors to command a price premium while protecting traditional methods of production.

My research focus is the UK PFN system.  The first British food PFNs like Dovedale Cheese, Jersey Royal Potatoes, and Stilton Cheese were registered in 1996; however the UK has been slower to embrace PFNs than, for example, France, Spain, or Italy.  This situation may be changing as there is a considerable list of foods currently applying for protected status.

Some of the ideas for this research emerged from my MSc dissertation: Epping Forest: A Place Based Analysis.  Working with a conservation group in Epping Forest – an area of ancient woodland in East London - I used ethnographic techniques to explore conceptions of place, boundaries, history, and authenticity.

Membership and  Funding.

I am a member of the Royal Geographical Society (www.rgs.org) OriGIn – the Organization for an International Geographical Indications Network (www.origin-gi.com) - and the Slow Food Movement (www.slowfood.org.uk).

This research is funded by the ESRC as part of their 1+3 scheme.