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21.6.2013 Official
Journal
of
the
European
Union L
169/39
COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) No 584/2013
of 18 June 2013
approving a minor amendment to the specification for a name entered in the register of protected
designations of origin and protected geographical indications (Melton Mowbray Pork Pie (PGI))
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
(3)
The purpose of the application is to amend the specifi
cation by clarifying the role of thickening agents and
other ingredients used in the manufacture of Melton
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European
Mowbray Pork Pies.
Union,
(4) The Commission has examined the amendments in
Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the
question and decided that they are justified. Since this
European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November
is a minor amendment, the Commission may adopt it
2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and food
without using the procedure set out in Articles 50 to 52
stuffs (
of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012,

1 ), and in particular Article 53(2)(2) thereof,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Whereas:
Article 1
(1) Regulation
(EU)
No
1151/2012
entered
into
force
on The specification for the protected geographical indication
3 January 2013. It repealed and replaced Council Regu
‘Melton Mowbray Pork Pie’ is hereby amended in accordance
lation (EC) No 510/2006 of 20 March 2006 on the
with Annex I to this Regulation.
protection of geographical indications and designations
of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs ( 2 ).
Article 2
Annex II to this Regulation contains the Single Document
(2) In
accordance
with
the
first
subparagraph
of
Article
9(1) setting out the main points of the specification.
of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006, the Commission has
examined United Kingdom’s application for the approval
Article 3
of amendments to the specification for the protected
geographical indication ‘Melton Mowbray Pork Pie’
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day
registered in accordance with Commission Regulation
following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the
(EC) No 566/2009 ( 3 ).
European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 18 June 2013.
For the Commission,
On behalf of the President,
Dacian CIOLO
Member of the Commission
( 1 ) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.
( 2 ) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.
( 3 ) OJ L 168, 30.6.2009, p. 20.

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L 169/40
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
21.6.2013
ANNEX I
The following amendments to the specification for the protected geographical indication ‘Melton Mowbray Pork Pie’ are
approved:
Method of production (Section 4.5 on Specification)
Amendment Explanation
4.5. Method of production: Ingredients for the manu
facture of Melton Mowbray Pork Pies:
Mandatory ingredients — the following This clarifies all the ingredients that must be used in a Melton
ingredients must be used:
Mowbray Pork Pie.
Uncured pork
Salt
Lard and/or shortening
Wheat flour
Pork gelatine and/or pork bonestock
Water
Spices
Optional ingredients — the following These are the optional ingredients that may be used, but no
ingredients may be used:
others.
Egg and/or milk (for glazing only) Glaze
(egg
and/or
milk)
—
this
enhances
the
golden
brown
colour of the baked pastry. Egg and milk are used in baking
both domestically and commercially to enhance the baked
appearance of pastry and bread products.
Breadcrumbs or rusk Breadcrumbs
or
rusk
Starch Starch
Where these optional ingredients are used the total These ingredients, often used as thickening agents, ensure that
amount in the final product will not exceed 8 %. the filling is workable (when raw), they act to retain the meat
Individually;
juices when the product is baked and ensure that the meat
texture achieved in the baked product is consistent.
Glaze < 1 %,
Breadcrumbs or Rusk < 2 %
Starch < 5 % The
maximum
amounts
of
these
optional
ingredients
are
also
stated.
No other ingredients, aside from those listed above This is to clarify that only the ingredients above may be used
and their constituent ingredients, may be used in and no others.
the manufacture of Melton Mowbray Pork Pies.
The pastry ingredients are mixed together and Deletion of the words ‘then rested’ as there is no clear defi
formed into billets and lids prior to pie manufac nition of what this means and as this step in the production
ture.
process is not a factor in distinguishing a Melton Mowbray
Pork Pie from other pork pies.

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EN
21.6.2013 Official
Journal
of
the
European
Union L
169/41
Method of production (Section 4.5 on Specification)
Amendment Explanation
The pork meat is diced or minced and mixed with This clarifies which ingredients goes into the filling
the other filling ingredients to form the pie filling.
The pies are glazed (if required) and then baked to This clarifies when glazing, which is optional, takes place
a golden brown pastry colour, allowed to cool and during the production of the pies.
jellied.
This amendment application is submitted to clarify the role of thickening agents and other ingredients used in the
manufacture of Melton Mowbray Pork Pies. Producers have used the ingredients added for many years. The importance
of their inclusion in Section 4.5 was overlooked at the time when the word ‘only’ was added in front of the ingredients
list when the original application was forwarded to Brussels. It is specifically noted that these additions do not alter the
stated minimum meat content (30 % in the final product), and that the words ‘filling ingredients’ in the original method
of production refer to the ingredients now listed in the amendment application.

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L 169/42
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
21.6.2013
ANNEX II
SINGLE DOCUMENT
Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for
agricultural products and foodstuffs ( 1 )
‘MELTON MOWBRAY PORK PIE’
EC No: UK-PGI-0105-0947-03.02.2012
PGI ( X ) PDO ( )
1. Name
‘Melton Mowbray Pork Pie’
2. Member State or Third Country
United Kingdom
3. Description
of
the
agricultural
product
or
foodstuff
3.1. Type of product
Class 1.2 Meat product (cooked, salted, smoked etc.)
3.2. Description of product to which the name in point 1 applies
Melton Mowbray Pork Pies have a bow walled pastry case and the pastry is golden brown in colour with a rich
texture. The pork filling is uncured and the colour of roast pork. The texture filling is moist and particulate. As per
the EU definition of meat, the meat content of the whole product must be at least 30 %. Between the filling and the
pastry wall is a layer of jelly.
In flavour, the pastry has a rich, baked taste while the filling is full of meaty flavour and seasoned in particular with
pepper. The pies must be free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives. They are sold in a variety of sizes
and weights and through a range of outlets including traditional butchers’ shops, supermarkets, delicatessens and
food service outlets.
3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only
The following are mandatory ingredients permitted in the production of Melton Mowbray Pork Pies:
pork (not cured pork)
Salt
Lard and/or shortening
Wheat flour
Pork gelatine and/or pork bonestock
Water
Spices
3.4. Optional ingredients — the following additional ingredients may be used:
Egg or milk (for glazing purposes only)
Breadcrumbs or rusk
Starch
Where these optional ingredients are used the total amount in the final product will not exceed 8 %. Individually,
Glaze < 1 %, Breadcrumbs or Rusk < 2 % Starch < 5 %.
No other ingredients may be used in the manufacture of Melton Mowbray Pork Pies. No other ingredients, aside
from those listed above and their constituent ingredients, may be used in the manufacture of Melton Mowbray Pork
Pies.
( 1 ) Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 on quality schemes
for agricultural products and foodstuffs.

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EN
21.6.2013 Official
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European
Union L
169/43
3.5. Feed (for products of animal origin only)
N/A
3.6. Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area
The manufacturing and assembling of Melton Mowbray Pork Pies is carried out in the designated area and includes
the following steps of production.
— The pastry ingredients are mixed together, formed into billets and lids, prior to pie manufacture.
— The pork meat is diced or minced and mixed with the other filling ingredients to form the pie filling.
— The pastry billets are either blocked in hoops or raised round a dolly or similar supports.
— The pie filling is divided into billets and placed into the pie base and the pre-cut or sheeted pastry lid is placed
over the pie and crimped to seal. Some pies are hand raised and some pies are finished off with a decorative
hand crimp.
— They are then ejected from their hoops and placed on to a baking tray without support. Some pies may be
frozen in this state and stored to be baked later, or sold frozen to be baked elsewhere.
— The pies are glazed (if required) and then baked to a golden brown pastry colour, allowed to cool and jellied.
— The pies are then cooled to below 8 °C.
— The pies may then be wrapped and date coded for retail sale, or left unwrapped.
— The pies may be placed into a chill cabinet to await purchase. Some pies are sold warm within 4 hours of
jellying.
3.7. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.
Each member of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association will receive their own Certification number provided by
the inspection body to display on packaging and any other point of sale material when selling Melton Mowbray Pork
Pies. This unique number will trace each pie sold directly back to the producer. In the case of the small-scale
producers, some of the products produced are only sold through their own retail outlets, whilst other larger
members sell products through the major retailers.
Producers are issued a Health Mark from the Food Standards Agency and this combined with the use of a date code
provides full traceability of a product from point of sale, to production batch, through to the approved supplier of
each of the component ingredients.
3.8. Specific rules concerning labelling
The Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association will police the use of its own authentication stamp, granted to each of its
members. The stamp may be used on packaging and point of sale material.
4. Concise
definition
of
the
geographical
area
The town of Melton Mowbray and its surrounding region bounded as follows:
— to the North, by the A52 from the M1 and the A1 and including the city of Nottingham,
— to the East, by the A1 from the A52 to the A605 and including the towns of Grantham and Stamford,
— to the West, by the M1 from the A52 to the A45,
— to the South, by the A45 and A605 from the M1 to the A1 and including the town of Northampton.

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L 169/44
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
21.6.2013
5. Link
with
the
geographical
area
5.1. Specificity of the geographical area
Extensive research by a local historian has demonstrated that during the early and middle 19th century when the
pies were first being produced on a commercial basis geographical and economic barriers would have limited
production of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie to the town of Melton Mowbray and its surrounding district.
The geographical area described in Section 4 is larger than the original area of production. This takes account of the
fact that over time those barriers became less significant and recognises that production of the Melton Mowbray
Pork Pie in accordance with the method of production described in Section 3.5 has taken place for 100 years in the
wider area surrounding Melton Mowbray.
From the middle of the 18th century seasonal foxhunters began to centre their hunting activities on the town of
Melton Mowbray. During the autumn and winter months, pigs were slaughtered, pork pies were made. These pies
were carried in the pockets of the hunt servants to be eaten as snacks as they moved the horses around the villages
at the convenience of the wealthy foxhunter. These delicious simple peasant pies soon came to the notice of the hard
riding fox hunter who then began to carry them in pouches and pockets to eat while involved in the chase.
These wealthy seasonal hunters took such a liking to the splendid pies that were served on their breakfast table that
they expected them to be served at their London clubs. In 1831, Edward Adcock commenced exporting pork pies
from Melton Mowbray to London using the daily Leeds to London stagecoach. So the commercialisation and
promotion of the Melton Mowbray pork pie began.
The railway age transformed the industry. Instead of using the daily horse-drawn stagecoaches to transport pies to
London and other major cities, special carriages were commissioned on the railway system. Bakehouses were built
close to Melton Mowbray station and the pies were transported across the United Kingdom and even to Australia,
New Zealand and South Africa within the refrigerated holds of cargo ships returning to those countries. The fame of
the pie spread and from the 1870’s until the turn of the century the industry enjoyed a boom. As a result of the
growing reputation of the product some of the leading manufacturers made an aborted attempt to protect the name
against imitations.
The First World War killed off the export trade and marked the beginning of the decline of the industry. However,
within the last 20 years there has been a revival with the industry again expanding to meet a growing demand for
this versatile food stuff. Melton Mowbray pork pies made in the designated area are now on sale in many of the
large supermarkets and are also being exported abroad again.
5.2. Specificity of the product
Melton Mowbray Pork Pies have a bow walled pastry case giving them their characteristic bow shape. The pastry is
golden brown in colour with a rich texture. The pork used in the filling is uncured and when baked the pork
becomes grey in colour — similar to the colour of roast pork. The texture of the filling is moist and particulate. As
per the EU definition of meat, the meat content of the whole product must be at least 30 %. Between the filling and
the pastry wall is a layer of jelly.
In flavour, the pastry has a rich, baked taste while the filling is full of meaty flavour and seasoned in particular with
pepper. The pies must be free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives.
Melton Mowbray Pork Pies are clearly distinct from other pork pies in their packaging, design and marketing at
point of sale. They carry a price premium compared to other pork pies on the market place of 10-15 % because they
have a specific reputation that sets them apart as different and worth paying for. The Melton Mowbray Pork Pie
Association was set up in 1998 to bring together all the producers in the designated area with the aim of ensuring
the protection of the authentic Melton Mowbray Pork Pie and of raising awareness about the origin of the product.
5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the
reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI)
From the 16th century onwards considerable land enclosure took place around the town of Melton Mowbray. These
land clearances removed the open fields from the landscape and the enclosed hedge fields so indicative of East
Midland farmland were developed. As a result the principal farming activity changed from raising sheep on the open
fields to controlled cattle husbandry. The surplus milk from the cows was converted to cheese particularly Blue
Stilton. A by-product of cheese production is whey. Whey when mixed with bran is an excellent pig food. Dairy
farmers built pigsties and raised the farm animals to eat the surplus that accrued because of their cheese production
activities.
In more recent times, Melton Mowbray Pork Pies have attracted attention from various areas. The international travel
guide book ‘Lonely Planet’ makes reference to the town of Melton Mowbray by describing it as the town ‘which gave
the world the best pork pies under the sun’. The product’s renewed popularity was demonstrated in 1996 when the
Duke of Gloucester attracted some publicity during a visit to a producers shop and was captured in a newspaper
article sampling Melton Mowbray pork pies. The BBC also ran a feature on Melton Mowbray pork pies as part of
their popular prime time ‘Food and Drink’ television programme.

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EN
21.6.2013 Official
Journal
of
the
European
Union L
169/45
Reference to publication of the specification
(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)
http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/food/industry/regional/foodname/products/documents/melton-mowbray-pgi-
20120723.pdf

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Document Outline

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