Born GILearn to disseminate the values of foods with DOP.

It is a European project for increasing awareness of GI products.

Included within the European program Lifelong Learning, the GILearn European project also has a secondary objective the preservation of traditional manufacturing processes and sustainable production through the promotion of products with designation of origin.

The methodology combines both offline and online approach. The course consists of an innovative concept of 'guided tasting' of products with PDO.

Participants perform a tasting in real time as they can consult guides and maps for proper compliance with them. In addition, The online format provides a more attractive approach that allows participants to interact with others through the platform created for the course.

Product training with origin denomination offers participants a multidisciplinary knowledge regarding the production areas and socioeconomic impact, manufacturing and cultural aspects of the products.

But the innovative idea lies in the acquisition of sensory capabilities of European citizens, allowing them to assess the quality, the value and diversity of products with designation of origin.

Foods with differentiated quality seals - protected designation of origin (DOP), Protected geographical indication (IGP) and guaranteed traditional speciality (ETG)- constitute the system recognized in the European Union to protect our food many quality characteristics and differential, due to the geographical environment in which the raw materials are produced, in which products are produced and the influence of the human factor that is involved in the same.

European quality policy recognizes and protects the designations of certain specific products which are linked to a territory or a method of production.

This recognition translates into quality logos that identify products of quality in the European Union and through specific controls, guarantee, In addition, its authenticity.

Two of them have geographical connotation (Protected designation of origin or PDO and protected geographical indication or IGP) and the third is related to traditional production methods (Guaranteed traditional speciality or ETG).

A product bearing the PDO logo has demonstrated that it has some characteristics that are only possible thanks to the natural environment and the skills of the producers in the region of production with which it is associated.

In contrast to the IGP, the DOP products require that all stages of the food production process are carried out in the area in question.

The regulation defines a DOP as a name that identifies a product: Originating in a particular place, a region or, exceptionally, a country. Whose quality or characteristics are fundamental or exclusively due to a particular geographical environment, with the inherent natural and human factors. And production phases take place entirely in the defined geographical area.

The project has GILearn web and is coordinated by the Spanish technological center has AINIA and partners Catholic University of Portugal (ESB – UCP) (Portugal), Chamber of Trades and Crafts of Rhone (France), QUALIVITA (Italy) y MTT (Finland).