This document is an excerpt from the EUR-Lex website
Document 52025XC06086
Publication of the communication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a geographical indication in accordance with Article 5(4) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27
Publication of the communication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a geographical indication in accordance with Article 5(4) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27
Publication of the communication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a geographical indication in accordance with Article 5(4) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27
PUB/2025/933
OJ C, C/2025/6086, 12.11.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/6086/oj (BG, ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, GA, HR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SL, FI, SV)
|
Official Journal |
EN C series |
|
C/2025/6086 |
12.11.2025 |
Publication of the communication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a geographical indication in accordance with Article 5(4) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27 (1)
(C/2025/6086)
COMMUNICATION OF APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT
(Article 24 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143)
‘Brillat-Savarin’
EU No: PGI-FR-02102-AM01 – 21.8.2025
1. Product name
‘Brillat-Savarin’
2. Geographical indication type
|
☐ |
Protected designation of origin (PDO) |
|
☒ |
Protected geographical indication (PGI) |
|
☐ |
Geographical indication (GI) |
3. Sector
|
☒ |
Agricultural products |
|
☐ |
Wines |
|
☐ |
Spirit drinks |
4. Country to which the geographical area belongs
France
5. National authority communicating the standard amendment
Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty
6. Qualification as standard amendment
Explanation as to why the amendment or amendments fall under the definition of a standard amendment as provided for in Article 24(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143:
The application for an amendment to the ‘Brillat-Savarin’ PGI does not involve any of the three situations constituting a Union amendment; specifically, it does not:
|
(a) |
include a change in the name of the protected geographical indication; |
|
(b) |
risk voiding the link to the geographical area; |
|
(c) |
entail further restrictions on the marketing of the product. |
The French authorities therefore consider that the application is for a standard amendment.
7. Description of the approved standard amendment(s)
1. Product description
This amendment involves removing the maximum weight limit (250 g) for small cheeses.
The removal of the upper limit in no way alters the quality of the product but makes it possible to avoid excluding cheeses that weigh more than 250 g, provided that they comply with all the quality requirements of the product specification
The amendment affects the single document.
2. Demarcation of the geographical area
The list of municipalities of the geographical area has been updated in accordance with the 2025 Official Geographic Code, without amending the geographical area itself.
A sentence has also been added to specify that the maps showing the geographical area can be viewed on the website of the National Institute of Origin and Quality.
The amendment affects the single document.
3. Details bearing out the link with the geographical environment
The sentence explaining the link between ‘Brillat-Savarin’ and its geographical area (its quality and reputation) has been moved to the beginning of the section in the single document.
The amendment affects the single document.
4. Specific labelling details
It has been specified that the labelling includes the registered name of the product and the European Union PGI symbol in the same field of vision.
The amendment affects the single document.
5. Contact details and composition of the applicant group
The contact details of the group have been amended. Further details have been included about its composition, which has not changed.
The amendment does not affect the single document.
6. Contact details of the competent authority in the Member State
The contact details have been updated.
The amendment does not affect the single document.
SINGLE DOCUMENT
‘Brillat-Savarin’
EU No: PGI-FR-02102-AM01 – 21.8.2025
PDO ( ) PGI (X)
1. Name(s) (of the PDO or PGI)
‘Brillat-Savarin’
2. Member State or third country
France
3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff
3.1. Combined Nomenclature code
04 – DAIRY PRODUCE; BIRDS’ EGGS; NATURAL HONEY; EDIBLE PRODUCTS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN, NOT ELSEWHERE SPECIFIED OR INCLUDED
0406 – Cheese and curd
3.2. Description of product to which the name in (1) applies
‘Brillat-Savarin’ is a soft cheese made from lactic curd, and produced from cow’s milk and cow’s milk cream. It is first placed on the market no sooner than three days after rennetting.
When matured, ‘Brillat-Savarin’ is aged – starting from the day it is rennetted – for at least five days for small cheeses and at least eight days for large cheeses.
When it is first placed on the market, ‘Brillat-Savarin’ has the following characteristics:
|
— |
a total dry extract greater than or equal to 40 %; |
|
— |
fat content greater than or equal to 72 % of the dry matter; |
|
— |
a salt content of less than 2 %; |
|
— |
a diameter of between 60 and 100 mm, and a thickness of between 30 and 60 mm for the small cheeses weighing at least 100 g; |
|
— |
a diameter of between 110 and 140 mm, and a thickness of between 40 and 70 mm for the large cheeses weighing at least 500 g. |
‘Brillat-Savarin’ comes either whole or in cut pieces. When cut into pieces, this is done respecting the cheese, i.e. in portions or sections cut along a line or lines passing through the centre of the cylinder.
‘Brillat-Savarin’ has the following organoleptic characteristics:
|
— |
a regular, cylindrical shape with a straight or slightly concave heel and flat sides; |
|
— |
fresh cream or butter flavours predominate; |
|
— |
a slightly acidic (lactic taste) and slightly salty flavour; |
|
— |
a melt-in-the-mouth texture; |
|
— |
a soft, smooth paste. |
When it bears the description ‘matured’, ‘Brillat-Savarin’ has a white-to-ivory coloured rind, with surface flora made up mostly of Penicilium candidum and/or Geotrichum, and it develops aromas of mushrooms and undergrowth as well as fruity, nutty flavours.
3.3. Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)
There are no quality conditions related to the animal feed.
Milk intended for the production of ‘Brillat-Savarin’ is whole cow’s milk, collected within a maximum period of two days from the day of first milking. It is used no later than two days after arriving at the cheese dairy and without undergoing freezing.
Cow’s milk cream is the only type of cream used, and it is produced by skimming cream off whole cow’s milk. Use of whey cream is therefore prohibited. Homogenisation and freezing of the cream are also prohibited.
The quality of the cream is ensured by its meeting the following criteria:
|
— |
the skimming of the cream takes place within two days of the milk being collected; |
|
— |
the Dornic acidity value, measured at the moment of cream skimming or the moment of arrival at the cheese dairy, is less than or equal to 14° Dornic; |
|
— |
the temperature upon arrival at the cheese dairy and during storage is less than or equal to 8 °C. |
3.4. Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area
All production stages take place in the geographical area: from blending the cream and milk to completion of drying; and for cheeses bearing the description ‘matured’, until completion of maturation.
3.5. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to
—
3.6. Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to
In addition to the compulsory information provided for by legislation on the labelling and presentation of foodstuffs, labels must include the following:
|
(1) |
the registered name of the product and the European Union PGI logo in the same visual field; |
|
(2) |
the name and address of the last producer involved in the production process, located in the geographical area of the PGI. |
Where the product is matured in accordance with the description in this product specification, the designation ‘Brillat-Savarin’ is accompanied by the description ‘matured’. This description appears in the same field of vision and is written in characters greater than, or equal to, half the size of those of the ‘Brillat-Savarin’ name, and smaller than those of the ‘Brillat-Savarin’ name.
4. Concise definition of the geographical area
All stages of production must take place in the geographical area, which spans the territories of the municipalities set out below, based on the 2025 Official Geographic Code. Maps of the geographical area can be consulted on the website of the National Institute of Origin and Quality (Institut national de l’origine et de la qualité – INAO).
Geographical area: 13 districts
|
— |
Department of Aube: Parts of the following districts:
|
|
— |
Department of Côte-d’Or: Entire districts: Beaune. Parts of the following districts:
|
|
— |
Department of Saône-et-Loire: Parts of the following districts:
|
|
— |
Department of Seine-et-Marne: Parts of the following districts:
|
|
— |
Department of Yonne: Parts of the following districts:
|
5. Link with the geographical area
The link between ‘Brillat-Savarin’ and its geographical area is based on its quality and reputation.
Stretching from the north of the department of Saône-et-Loire to the department of Seine-et-Marne, the geographical area is a territory which for the past 50 years has continued to produce a lactic-curd cheese that is enriched with fat and possibly coated with surface mould.
Production of soft cheese made from predominantly lactic curd in the geographical area dates back to the medieval era, during which time this technique was specially adapted to the pace of life in the Cistercian abbeys.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, expertise in this lactic technology, which is based on a long curdling time and the natural draining of the curd, was passed on in farms geared towards mixed farming and livestock rearing. In these farms, the many and varied farm tasks did not leave much time to the farmers’ wives, whose job it was to focus on the production of cheese. Starting in the 19th century, the geographical area saw the development of the practice of enriching milk with fat by the addition of cream.
In the Brie region in the north of the geographical area, these practices have their origin in the cream surpluses that resulted from the production of the eponymous cheeses (L’art de faire le beurre et les meilleurs fromages, Anderson, 1833 [The art of making butter and the best cheeses]). Whereas further to the south in the Burgundian part of the geographical area, there was no cream production due to the practice of processing whole milk. In this area, the technology was able to develop due to the availability of cream from neighbouring regions, which had a surfeit of fats.
‘Brillat-Savarin’ has a smooth paste. It has a particularly soft and creamy texture in the mouth. It is also characterised by a slightly acidic flavour, with a distinct lactic taste and a very fine-textured paste. Its aromas are dominated by scents of cream or fresh butter.
This quality is linked to skills that are particularly difficult to implement on a large scale. The cheese dairies that make ‘Brillat-Savarin’ and that are today based in the geographical area have kept alive this collective know-how up to the present day.
The production of this cheese requires special know-how, which artfully combines expertise in lactic technology and fat enrichment. Before renneting, the milk is matured for a long period at a restricted temperature in order to develop suitable acidification conditions. This gives ‘Brillat-Savarin’ its characteristic aromas of fresh cream or butter.
The balance between the enzymatic and acid coagulations helps to create a greatly demineralised, and therefore very fragile, curd, which must be treated with great caution in order not to break it. The addition of fat results in greater water retention within the curd, which reduces its cohesiveness and makes it more fragile. The production of a lactic curd gives the cheese a slightly acidic flavour, with a distinct lactic taste and a very fine-textured paste. The high fat content gives it its soft and creamy texture, but it is also an excellent enhancer of the characteristic ‘Brillat-Savarin’ aromas.
Mastery of the sensitive draining and drying processes ensures the preservation of the lactic quality discerned on tasting, and of the softness and even consistency of the paste. It also ensures the regular cylindrical shape, straight heel, and flat sides of ‘Brillat Savarin’.
These processes also help to make water available to enable the development of ripening cultures, if so desired.
Special care is taken during maturation, such as the rotation and sorting of the cheeses, as well as the adjustment of the ventilation and temperature conditions of the premises. These processes must be tailored to the characteristics of each of the different batches. When aged, ‘Brillat-Savarin’ has a regular, unblemished, white-to-ivory coloured rind, with a surface mould covered in surface flora. It then develops aromas of mushroom, undergrowth, fruits and hazelnuts.
The reputation of ‘Brillat-Savarin’ is the result of its commercial success in the early 1930s. It was Henry Androuët, a Parisian cheese-maturer of international repute, who gave the cheese this name, as a tribute to the famous judge Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, author of the book Physiologie du Goût [The Physiology of Taste], published in 1830.
The cheese dairies located in the geographical area, historically adept in the practical skills of producing cheese made from lactic curd enriched with cream, began marketing their cheeses under the name of ‘Brillat-Savarin’ in the early 1960s. A cheese-dairy located in Côte-d’Or was awarded two gold and silver medals for its matured ‘Brillat-Savarin’ in 1976 at the Concours Général Agricole (General Agricultural Competition). This event was widely publicised in the local press.
The increase in production of ‘Brillat-Savarin’ since the 1970s can be explained by its popularity with consumers, in France and the rest of the world. Roughly 30 % of production is exported, mainly to Germany, Belgium, England and North America.
Recently launched for sale in supermarkets in order to reach as many people as possible, ‘Brillat-Savarin’ was formerly sold in traditional smaller-scale shops. It therefore enjoys a great reputation with connaisseurs who consider it to be a prestige cheese, known for its organoleptic qualities and its great delicacy.
It consistently features on the menus of the region’s greatest gastronomic restaurants. Thus the maîtres d’hôtel of the famous restaurants ‘Bernard Loiseau’ in Saulieu, Côte-d’Or and ‘Lameloise’ in Chagny, Saône-et-Loire stress that ‘customers particularly appreciate its creamy quality’.
For Hervé Mons, a renowned ‘crémier affineur’ (dairy ripener) in the department of Loire and the ‘Meilleur Ouvrier de France’ (‘Best Craftsman in France’) in 2000, ‘the organoleptic characteristics (of Brillat-Savarin) are altogether interesting... customers value this cheese for its creaminess, its fine-textured paste, and its balanced, rather buttery, taste’.
Finally, Rodolphe Le Meunier, also a ‘crémier affineur’ and awarded the ‘Best Craftsman in France’ in 2007 speaks of ‘Brillat-Savarin’ as ‘a cheese … frequently requested … mild and refined, it agrees with the palates of many customers’.
Reference to publication of the specification
(1) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27 of 30 October 2024 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council with rules concerning the registration and the protection of geographical indications, traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms and repealing Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (OJ L, 2025/27, 15.1.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2025/27/oj).
ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/6086/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)