Publication of an application for approval of an amendment, which is not minor, to a product specification pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2022/C 307/10)

This publication confers the right to oppose the amendment application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) within three months from the date of this publication.

APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF PROTECTED DESIGNATIONS OF ORIGIN/PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS WHICH IS NOT MINOR

Application for approval of an amendment in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

‘Pa de Pagès Català’

EU No: PGI-ES-0880-AM01 – 17.6.2021

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Applicant group and legitimate interest

Consejo Regulador de la Indicación Geográfica Protegida Pa de Pagès Català

[‘Pa de Pagès Català’ PGI Regulatory Board]

C/ Pau Claris, 134, 4o

08009 Barcelona

ESPAÑA

Email: secretaria@padepagescatala.org

Internet: padepagescatala.org

The ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ PGI Regulatory Board is formed by all the producers of the ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ PGI and it has a legitimate interest in submitting the amendment application.

2.   Member State or Third Country

Spain

3.   Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment(s)

☐	Name of product

☒	Description of product

☐	Geographical area

☐	Proof of origin

☒	Method of production

☐

Link

☒

Labelling

☒	Other: Inspection body and legislative requirements

4.   Type of amendment(s)

☒	Amendment to product specification of a registered PDO or PGI not to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

☐	Amendment to product specification of registered PDO or PGI for which a single document (or equivalent) has not been published not to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

5.   Amendment(s)

The ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ PGI was entered in the Community register for PDOs and PGIs in 2013 by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 140/2013 (OJ L 47 of 20 March 2013). Having been in operation for a few years, certain aspects of the product specification need to be amended to take account of updates to concepts and improvements to the systems used in making the product. The proposed changes are as follows:

Description of product (Section B of the product specification)

a)   Appearance

The amendment consists of changing the colour of the crumb so that it can be slightly darker, i.e. cream-coloured, as well as white. Specifically, in Section b.2) (Characteristics of the bread) of the product specification, the wording:

has been replaced as follows:

Grounds for this amendment: This amendment broadening the colour range so that the crumb need not be exclusively white in colour is due to the change in the flours allowed in the production of the PGI bread, which is explained and justified below (amendment (c)). The original wording of the product specification currently in force refers to the crumb being the same shade of white as the flour used, but it is now common to use flours with higher extraction rates resulting in darker flours in bread-making. The possibility of adding a small percentage of rye flour also means that darker flours are being used, resulting in the crumb not being as white as before.

b)   Presentation

In Section b.3) (Presentation), the range of sizes of the loaves covered by the ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ PGI has been extended, as the two established formats of 0.5 kg and 1 kg have been replaced by a range of weights varying between 200 g and 3 kg. The reference to the size of the loaves in centimetres has also been deleted.

Grounds for this amendment: The current version of the product specification only includes the most common loaf sizes, i.e. 400-500 g and 800-1 000 g after baking, without taking into account that bakers have traditionally made loaves of different sizes. The aim is to now extend the range of weights of the loaves protected by the PGI to include the smaller loaves now sought by consumers and the larger loaves that have always been made, despite being less prevalent in urban settings (which is why they were not included in the first version).

For practical reasons, it has been decided not to include any variable other than weight in defining loaf size. The loaves are round and shaped by hand rather than using moulds. It is hard - as well as unnecessary - to specify exact dimensions for a product that is made by hand, particularly considering that the weight range is so broad. These variables also depend on other factors such as subsequent fermentation. These amendments to the description of the presentation do not in any way affect the quality of the product covered by the PGI.

Amendments (a) and (b) also affect Section 3.2 (Description of the product) of the single document.

Method of production: ingredients (Section E.1 of the product specification)

The description of some of the ingredients described in Section E.1 has been changed.

c)   Flours

The types of flour used and their quality parameters are to be extended. The current wording (‘Wheat flour: W between 150 and 240 and P/L between 0.4 and 0.6.’)

has been replaced as follows:

Grounds for this amendment: The Spanish legislation currently in force (Royal Decree No 677/2016 of 1 December 2016 approving the quality standard for flours, meals and other milled cereal products) classifies the different types of flours according to their suitability for breadmaking and sets out their technical characteristics (protein content, strength (W) and falling number). The three categories provided (medium, strong and very strong) are the ideal types for making the bread protected by the PGI. We therefore believe that it is enough to set out the authorised flour categories and that there is no need to include the parameters specified in the previous version of the product specification.

For the same reasons, we would also like to introduce the possibility of a maximum of 10 % rye flour being included, because this flour improves the taste and colour of the loaves. Having been sidelined for some years, rye flour has recently been making a successful comeback.

d)

The description and types of starter doughs allowed have been amended. The current version of the product specification states that the ‘starter dough’ used is an ‘active starter’, of which a specific percentage is used (‘between 15 and 20 % of the amount of flour in the dough’). We propose that the wording of the paragraph heading be amended (‘starter dough’ being replaced by ‘starter or fermentative dough’) and to explain that the ‘active starter’ is the most commonly used - but not the only - method for making the bread covered by the ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ PGI. The proposed wording is as follows: ‘Starter or fermentative dough: A starter or fermentative dough is added to the dough to enable the bread to rise. The most commonly used fermentative dough consists of an “active starter” from the previous evening, to which flour and water and sometimes salt are added, at a cool temperature designed to delay the fermentation process. This stage is carried out at least once and can be repeated several times. The process can be automated and the starter dough can be reproduced on a continuous basis. Other types of dough with fermentative qualities to which a dose of yeast can be added are also accepted.’ Grounds for this amendment: First of all, the paragraph heading has been changed, with ‘starter dough’ being replaced by ‘starter or fermentative dough’. This is due to the national legislation having been amended. Royal Decree No 308/2019 of 26 April 2019 approving the quality standard for bread in Spain narrowed down the definition of ‘starter dough’ to mean a single type of fermentative dough that has only undergone spontaneous fermentation and to which no yeast has been added. Secondly, it has been decided to make it possible for different types of fermentative doughs (which may include the addition of yeast and/or salt) to be used, leaving this practice to the discretion of each individual baker.

e)

We propose that the maximum value for salt (set at 1,8 % of the amount of flour in the current version of the specification) be deleted. Grounds for this amendment: The maximum salt content is being removed because this value was set based on the national legislation in force when the PGI was approved, which has since been repealed by Royal Decree 308/2019 of 26 April 2019, approving the quality standard for bread. Article 11(2) of the current quality standard lays down the maximum salt content in the finished product. It specifies values of 1,31 g per 100 g of bread or 1,66 grams of salt per 100 g of bread depending on the testing method used. Given that the national technical and health regulations have changed and in order to be able to more easily adapt to amendments to mandatory rules, we have decided that this section is unnecessary and should be removed.

f)

As regards yeast, we propose to expand the range of baker’s yeast formats used. The current wording of the product specification states that it must be in pressed or powdered form. We propose replacing it as follows: ‘Yeast: Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisae L.) in its various commercial formats may be added up to a maximum of 2 %. This quantity may be reduced by using fermentative doughs and longer fermentation times than the minimum times set out in the product specification.’ Grounds for this amendment: The current wording refers to commercial yeast in pressed or powdered form, but there are other presentation formats, such as liquid yeast. The aim is to adapt the product specification to the realities of the market without compromising the quality of the product protected by the PGI. Of the amendments made to the section on ‘ingredients’ in the product specification, amendments (c), (d) and (e) also affect Section 3.3 (Raw materials) of the single document.

Method of production (Section E.2 of the product specification)

The proposed amendments in relation to the production process for bread covered by the PGI require changes to Section E.2 (Method of production) of the product specification.

g)

As regards kneading, the current wording is as follows: ‘Kneading: Kneading can be carried out by hand or by mechanical means. The kneading time varies between 20 and 30 minutes depending on the type of kneader used. The ingredients are first mixed slowly for a few minutes and then more quickly for as long as necessary without having a detrimental impact on the dough. The temperature of the dough after kneading must be between 22 oC and 28 oC to ensure that the subsequent fermentation is successful.’ We propose replacing it as follows: ‘Kneading or working is the process whereby the ingredients of the bread are mixed, either by hand or by mechanical means. The temperature of the dough after kneading must range between 22 oC and 28 oC to ensure that the subsequent fermentation is successful.’ Grounds for this amendment: Although the current wording of the product specification states that the kneading time varies between 20 and 30 minutes depending on the type of kneader used, the accepted time interval was not actually correctly established in the initial specification, since only one type of kneader (the bladed type) was considered. Other types, such as spiral kneaders, require shorter kneading times because they can achieve a much higher number of revolutions per minute than the bladed type. It is therefore not a good idea to specify the kneading time as this will depend on the type of kneader used. The important factors in determining the ideal kneading conditions, irrespective of the kneader used, are the temperature of the dough and the baker’s expertise, as these are the factors that will ensure that the subsequent fermentation will be successful.

h)

As regards the stage of resting the dough, it is now unambiguously specified that this stage may be carried out in controlled fermentation chambers. There was no mention of this in the initial version of the product specification. It has been deemed appropriate to clarify this point and make it clear that, as with the final fermentation stage, this stage can be carried out either in the ambient conditions at the bakery or in a controlled fermentation chamber that allows more control over the temperature and humidity conditions in which the work is done. This is a clarification rather than an amendment because this possibility had been indicated for other stages in the process, but it not for this particular point.

i)

As regards the final fermentation, the wording of the initial specification states that ‘Once the loaf has been formed, it must be allowed to ferment on a continuous basis for at least 3 hours.’ We propose replacing it as follows: ‘Once the loaf has been formed, it must be allowed to ferment on a continuous basis for at least 3 hours. If the dough or balls of dough rest for longer than the minimum of 15 minutes stipulated for each of these stages, it is possible to reduce the duration of the final fermentation stage on the basis of the extra time spent resting the dough and/or the balls of dough. In bakeries at room temperature, the final fermentation time can be reduced by a maximum of 30 minutes during the summer to prevent overfermentation of the bread.’ Grounds for this amendment: It is common practice for bakers to leave dough or balls of dough to rest for longer periods. The purpose is to enhance the taste and fragrance of the bread. Extending these rest periods often allows bakers to reduce the final fermentation time. We therefore leave it for bakers to decide how to split the fermentation times during the process, as long as the total fermentation time adds up to at least 3 hours and 30 minutes. The typical climate in our country also means that temperatures are very high in summertime. In bakeries not equipped with air-conditioning, the temperature can exceed 40 oC when ovens and other machinery are in use. This will affect the temperature of the dough, for which the optimal temperature is a maximum of 28 oC. Therefore we have suggested that the total fermentation time in direct processes can be reduced by 30 minutes, so as to avoid overfermentation of the bread.

j)	The minimum baking temperature has been reduced to 160 oC (it is currently 180 oC). This reduction is needed in order to adapt the baking conditions to the new, smaller formats. As explained in amendment (b), smaller loaves have been introduced. Smaller loaves may require lower baking temperatures.

k)

The section of the product specification on ‘Presentation for sale and packaging’ includes the possibility of larger loaves being sold by weight. According to the initial product specification, the loaves of bread could only be sold whole, or in slices at the customer’s request. Grounds for this amendment: Now that loaves over 1 kg have been included, as requested and explained previously in amendment (b), the particularities that this entails at the time of sale should be taken into account. Customers have traditionally bought bread by weight if they did not want the whole loaf. Therefore it makes sense to allow these loaves to be sold by weight (in a single piece) and not just whole or sliced as was the case until now. Of the amendments made to the paragraph of the product specification on the ‘method of production’, amendment (j) on the baking temperature and amendment (k) on sale by weight also affect the single document (Sections 3.4 and 3.5 respectively).

Rules on labelling

l)

With regard to labelling, formal amendments have been made to ensure that all information on labelling requirements is included in the same section. Specifically, the fact that the bread covered by the PGI is marketed in numbered packages has been included in Section H (Labelling) of the specification. Grounds for this amendment: The fact that the bread covered by the PGI is placed on the market with numbered labels was already stated in the product specification in force under the heading ‘Presentation for sale, packaging and labelling’, but this information had not been included in Section H on labelling. It was considered appropriate for all of the information on labelling to be included in the same section of the product specification and the wording of Section H has therefore been amended accordingly. The single document did not specify that the packages in which the bread was sold needed to be numbered. As this practice is important in ensuring the traceability of the PGI product, it has been incorporated into Section 3.6 of the single document.

Other

m)

Inspection and certification body (Section G): The contact details of the certification body have been updated. To be more specific, the name of the certification body has been updated because, although it is the same entity, it has undergone a name change. The respective postal address and email address have also been updated. The reference to the ISO 45011 standard has also been replaced by a reference to the ISO/IEC 17065:2012 standard.

n)	National legislative requirements (Section I): This section has been deleted, as it is not a requirement of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Pa de Pagès Català’

EU No: PGI-ES-0880-AM01-17.6.2021

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name

‘Pa de Pagès Català’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Spain

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 2.3. Bread, pastry, cakes, confectionery, biscuits and other baker’s wares.

3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Pa de Pagès Català’ is a traditional bread, round, with a crisp crust, tender crumb and large alveoli, which must always be shaped by hand. It is produced using traditional methods, with slow fermentation, and is always baked in ovens with a refractory floor.

Bread covered by this PGI has the following characteristics:

Appearance:

It is a round, rustic-looking bread.

The crumb has large, irregular alveoli. Its colour ranges from white to cream depending on the extraction rate of the flour used and it remains soft for some time. The spongy crumb is a key feature of the product and is a result of the bakers’ expertise and long experience.

The crust is thick and crisp, toasted brown in colour, and bears cracks where it has split open during baking.

Organoleptic characteristics:

It is a very fragrant and flavoursome bread, with a certain acidity which maintains the sensation of freshness and a pleasant texture for 8-9 hours after baking.

Presentation:

‘Pa de Pagès Català’ PGI is presented in the form of round loaves weighing between 200 g and 3 000 g, with a natural crack on the top

3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

The flours or flour blends used can consist of any variety of the wheat family classified as medium, strong or very strong, with different extraction rates and milling methods. In addition, up to 10 % (of the total flour used in the dough) can be rye flour.

Water: incorporated into the dough at a rate of 60-70 % (litres of water/kg of flour).

Starter or fermentative dough: a cultivated starter or fermentative dough is added. This is most commonly obtained from a previous fermentation.

Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae L.): no more than 2 %.

Cooking salt

3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

The entire production process must take place within the defined geographical area:

a)	Kneading the dough

b)	Resting the dough At this stage the baker’s expertise is crucial to the development of the bread’s aroma. In addition, resting strengthens the protein network that develops when the dough is mixed and kneaded and makes the dough more pliable.

c)	Dividing the dough into pieces

d)	Rolling the dough pieces into balls

e)	Resting the balls of dough

f)	Shaping The shaping must be done by hand; no mechanised shaping is allowed.

g)	Fermentation

h)

Scoring

i)	Baking ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ PGI must be baked only in ovens which have a refractory floor that diffuses the heat, at a temperature between 160 °C and 230 °C. Each baker will employ their expertise when adding steam, which determines the final appearance of the crust.

j)

Cooling

3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

‘Pa de Pagès Català’ PGI is sold to the public as whole, unsliced loaves. The product is sold packaged. Each loaf must be individually wrapped and bags must be made of paper or any other material that is sustainable, biodegradable and eco-friendly.

The product must be packaged in the establishment where it is sold, just before sale to the final consumer, as packaging can accelerate the spread of moisture from the crumb to the crust, so that it becomes soft and chewy, making the bread less crisp on the outside and less spongy inside.

The bread may only be cut into slices at the customer’s request at the time of sale. Loaves weighing more than 1 000 g can be sold by weight and the resulting pieces can be sliced or left unsliced.

3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

‘Pa de Pagès Català’ PGI has its own logo to accompany the packaged final product. All operators who meet the requirements of the PGI specification will be entitled to use the ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ PGI logo.

The packaging used for the bread covered by the PGI must bear its serial number and must bear the PGI name ‘Pa de Pagès Català’, its logo and the EU PGI symbol.

Black and white reproduction of the PGI logo:

Pantone colours of the PGI logo: Baker’s peel 457, shadow 265, crust 124

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area of the Protected Geographical Indication ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ covers the entire region of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia.

5.   Link with the geographical area

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area

‘Pa de Pagès Català’, more commonly known throughout the Autonomous Community as pa de pagès, is the bread with the greatest historical reputation in Catalonia. The etymology of the name pa de pagès already gives a clear indication of the product’s rural origins. Pagès means ‘farmer’ or ‘peasant’ in Catalan. Pa de pagès was the bread made in rural areas throughout Catalonia for local consumption. It was therefore an artisan bread, as it was made in the masías (farmhouses) and in the villages. Bakers in rural areas also made pa de pagès because it kept perfectly for several days, which was ideal for country folk. Pa de pagès is round and always shaped by hand; the dough is fermented slowly and baked in an oven with a refractory floor, a tradition that has been maintained for over six hundred years.

For centuries, the tradition of pa de pagès was passed down from one generation to the next, in people’s homes and in professional bakeries. It was these rural bakers who, with the successive migrations from rural to urban areas that took place in Catalonia from the 16th to the 18th century, gradually introduced pa de pagès to consumers in the large towns and cities and the surrounding areas.

At the end of the 19th century certain historical events occurred that led to ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ becoming more widely known as the most typical Catalan bakery product. The World Fairs held in Barcelona in 1888 and 1929, which coincided with the industrialisation of Catalonia, triggered a huge migration of people from rural areas to the Catalan capital. Thousands of people left their villages in the inland and southern part of the region to make a better living in factories in Barcelona and other industrial centres such as Manresa, Reus, etc. Among them were people who had been bakers in their villages of origin or were responsible for making pa de pagès at home. Many of these people found work not in the factories, but in the town and city bakeries, which had to produce bread for an ever-growing population.

At the same time as these people became bakery workers, the bakery sector itself was changing, with the introduction of machinery and flours that were more refined than those that had been used up until then. This was when baguette-type bread began to appear, which was easier and quicker to make than the traditional pa de pagès. However, the new urban populations remained loyal to their traditional bread and asked the bakeries for pa de pagès, so the bakeries started making pa de pagès as well as modern baguette-type bread.

At that time pa de pagès was known throughout Catalonia as a traditional, artisan bread, the good old bread, which was quite different from the new types of bread. It has exactly the same reputation today, to the extent that one cannot imagine pa amb tamàquet (bread with tomato), one of the most famous Catalan specialities, being made with any other type of bread.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the method used to make pa de pagès in Barcelona and other industrial towns was gradually adopted all over Catalonia. This method has not changed and has remained essentially the same for the past 100 years, according to descendants of bread-making families throughout the region. The bread is made using slow methods and special attention is paid to how it is baked, especially when adding the steam - this is where each baker employs their expertise, which determines the final appearance of the crust.

5.2.   Specificity of the product

‘Pa de Pagès Català’ is the most representative Catalan bakery speciality. It is a slow-fermentation bread, shaped exclusively by hand and baked slowly in ovens with a refractory floor. It has a crisp, toasted-brown crust, a tender, spongy crumb with large alveoli, which keeps its fresh appearance and pleasant texture for 8-9 hours after it is baked. These features result from the expertise and long experience of the Catalan bakers, and give the bread its special character, which has always been the same and has maintained its reputation over time.

5.3.   Causal link between the geographical area and a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product

The features that link the product with the geographical area are mainly its historical reputation and the fact that knowledge of the production method has been transmitted unchanged from one generation of Catalan bakers to the next. Its reputation is such that ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ is an essential feature of Catalan gastronomy.

In Catalonia, ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ has been recognised as a high-quality, artisan bread for centuries, and its high quality has often been the cause of dispute. Thus, Professor Antoni Riera of the University of Barcelona, in a study on the production, sale and consumption of bread in modern Catalan towns and cities in the 14th to 18th centuries, records that in Barcelona in the 18th century the bread that was brought to the city from rural areas was a cause of tension, specifically, says Riera, ‘the pa de pagès that came from the surrounding villages’. It is easy to understand the reason for the tension between the city bakers and those who came from outside the Catalan capital: pa de pagès was a better quality bread than the bread made by the bakers in Barcelona, and so people preferred it. This is also stated by the historian Jesús Ávila regarding the bread that arrived in Barcelona from other towns and villages: ‘People preferred the bread made by the monks of Sant Jeroni in the Vall d’Hebron. As well as pa de pagès, local district breads, such as those of Valls and Reus, and long French-style baguettes also became popular, as did llonguets [a typical Catalan bread roll]’. As this shows, historians have regarded ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ as a quality product specific to Catalonia at least from the 18th century onwards.

Other bread-making specialists, gourmets and historians (F. Tejero, X. Barriga, J. C. Capel, E. Rosset, P. Roca) repeatedly refer to ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ as a specific Catalan product.

It is also interesting to see how early on this bread became a distinct feature in Spanish painting. One of the oldest depictions of ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ is in the mural paintings of Pia Almoina de Lleida (14th-15th centuries), which show large round loaves on the tables of the poor, different from the types of bread eaten by the more affluent classes at that time. Other examples that must be mentioned are specific works featuring the shapes of traditional Catalan bread, by Picasso and Dalí (early and mid-twentieth century) and still lifes done by less internationally well-known painters in the second half of the twentieth century.

It must be pointed out how the fame of ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ has led to similar breads also being called pa de pagès, as in the Balearic Islands, or provinces neighbouring Catalonia such as Huesca and Castellón. This is mentioned by José Carlos Capel (El pan. Elaboración, formas, mitos, ritos y gastronomía, Barcelona, Montserrat Mateu, 1991), a scholar and writer on Spanish eating habits and a food critic, who states that ‘the name pan de payès is used to denote bread which, in appearance and taste, is trying to imitate, usually without success, this excellent Catalan bread’.

The official bread price lists that used to be published by the Spanish provinces under the supervision of the state authorities show how firmly rooted pa de pagès is in Catalonia. Until bread prices were liberalised in 1986, pa de payès was on the lists for the four Catalan provinces, whereas in the Balearic Islands there was only pan de flama (the common baguette-type bread) and the bread locally known as payès was not on the list.

In recent years many newspaper articles have drawn attention to the excellence of bakers throughout Catalonia who, in centuries-old traditional family bakeries, have maintained ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ as one of their specialities.

Reference to publication of the product specification

While the amendment is being processed, the updated product specification can be consulted via the following link: http://agricultura.gencat.cat/web/.content/al_alimentacio/al02_qualitat_alimentaria/normativa-dop-igp/plecs-tramit/pliego-condiciones-igp-pa-pages-catala-modificacion.pdf and, once it has been approved, it will be available at: http://agricultura.gencat.cat/ca/ambits/alimentacio/segells-qualitat-diferenciada/distintius-origen/dop-igp/normativa-dop-igp/plecs-condicions/en-vigor/

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(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.