PDO Olive Oil Products: A Powerful Tool for Farmers and Rural Areas

Abstract Nowadays, consumers’ quality awareness and health consciousness drive the agri-food market towards a consumer-response food market. As a result, many producers and firms in the Euro-Mediterranean countries have opted for several quality and origin assurance schemes. Among them, a prevalent role is played by the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) certification that constitutes a successful differentiation tool for agricultural products, and it is also widely used by Euro-Mediterranean olive oil producers due to effective contribution in promoting high-quality olive oil. After going through previous studies of PDO olive oil, this review paper investigates the general aspects and prospects of PDO olive oil products and EU relevant regulations, highlighting the socio-economic dimensions and impacts upon producers, consumers, and rural areas, and determining the gap between literature and practice with regards to PDO’s implementation and the expected benefits. Finally, the paper concludes with the main points and recommendations for further research.