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13.11.2013 Official
Journal
of
the
European
Union L
302/29
COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) No 1135/2013
of 7 November 2013
approving minor amendments to the specification for a name entered in the register of protected
designations of origin and protected geographical indications (Prosciutto Toscano (PDO))
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
(3) The Commission has examined the amendments in
question and decided that they are justified. Since the
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European
amendments are minor within the meaning of the third
Union,
subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No
Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the
1151/2012, the Commission may approve them
European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November
without following the procedure set out in Articles 50
2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and food
to 52 of that Regulation,
stuffs ( 1 ), and in particular the second subparagraph of
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 53(2) thereof,
Article 1
Whereas:
The specification for the protected designation of origin ‘Pro
(1) Pursuant
to
the
first
subparagraph
of
Article
53(1)
of sciutto Toscano’ is hereby amended in accordance with Annex I
Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, the Commission has
to this Regulation.
examined Italy’s application for the approval of
amendments to the specification for the protected desig
Article 2
nation of origin ‘Prosciutto Toscano’ registered under
Annex II to this Regulation contains the consolidated Single
Commission Regulation (EC) No 1263/96
( 2 ), as
Document setting out the main points of the specification.
amended by Regulation (EU) No 777/2010 ( 3 ).
Article 3
(2)
The purpose of the application is to amend the specifi
cation by making clear that the use of additives or
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day
preservatives in the production of ‘Prosciutto Toscano’
following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the
is no longer authorised.
European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 7 November 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 163, 2.7.1996, p. 19.
( 3 ) OJ L 233, 3.9.2010, p. 11.

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L 302/30
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
13.11.2013
ANNEX I
In the specification for the protected designation of origin ‘Prosciutto Toscano’ the following amendments are approved:
The use of additives or preservatives in the production of ‘Prosciutto Toscano’ is no longer authorised. The processing of
‘Prosciutto Toscano’ in accordance with the typical method guarantees the absence of that type of substance. In particular,
the ban on using nitrites and nitrates strengthens the link with the historical method of producing ‘Prosciutto Toscano’
and rules out the presence of additives and preservatives (E251 - E252) in the end product.

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EN
13.11.2013 Official
Journal
of
the
European
Union L
302/31
ANNEX II
Consolidated single document
Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 of 20 March 2006 on protected geographical indications and protected
designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs ( 1 )
‘PROSCIUTTO TOSCANO’
EC No: IT-PDO-0317-01009-2.7.2012
PGI ( ) PDO (X)
1. Name
‘Prosciutto Toscano’
2. Member
State
or
third
country
Italy
3. Description
of
the
agricultural
product
or
foodstuff
3.1. Type of product
Class 1.2. Meat products (cooked, salted, smoked, etc.)
3.2. Description of product to which the name in (1) applies
When released for consumption, ‘Prosciutto Toscano’ has the following physical, organoleptic, chemical and
physico-chemical characteristics: the top is rounded owing to the presence of a ridge of meat which extrudes no
more than 8 cm beyond the end of the femur; the weight is about 8-9 kg but never less than 7,5 kg; when sliced
open, the product reveals pale red to bright red meat with little fat infiltration in the muscle tissue; pure white
subcutaneous fat with slight pink streaks, compact, with no lines separating the layers and firmly attached to the
surface of the muscle. ‘Prosciutto Toscano’ may be released for consumption within a maximum period of 30
months after the start of processing the fresh legs. ‘Prosciutto Toscano’ may also be marketed boned, in portions, i.e.
cut up into pieces of varying shape and weight, or in slices.
‘Prosciutto Toscano’ has a delicate taste, typically savoury, with a characteristic fragrant aroma as a result of the
traditional methods of processing and ageing.
The physico-chemical characteristics are as follows:
Salt (expressed as NaCl) % max.
8,3
Muscle moisture content % max.
61,0
Protein breakdown index % max.
30,0
3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only)
The fresh legs used to produce ‘Prosciutto Toscano’ come from pigs born, reared and slaughtered within the area
defined under point 4 of this document. The pigs must weigh at least 160 kg, plus or minus 10 %, and be at least
nine months old. ‘Prosciutto Toscano’ is produced from the fresh legs of heavy pure-bred pigs or those derived from
the basic traditional breeds Large White or Landrace. A fresh trimmed leg must not weigh less than 11,8 kg.
3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only)
The types of feed used come mainly from the defined area corresponding to that for rearing the pigs as specified
under point 4 of this Single Document, given that they are subject to management based on a sector-specific
integrated system.
3.5. Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area
The specific stages in the production of ‘Prosciutto Toscano’ - salting, drying, coating with fat and ageing — must
take place in the traditional production area, which includes the entire territory of the Tuscany region.
( 1 ) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12. 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 (OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1).

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L 302/32
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
13.11.2013
3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.
All the product types — boned, cut up into pieces or sliced — and marked beforehand, must be marketed after
packaging in suitable and correctly sealed food containers or packs. Slicing and packaging of ‘Prosciutto Toscano’
must be carried out at the end of the ageing process and in the production area referred to under point 4, in order
to ensure that the different ageing periods for the sliced product are complied with and that the characteristics
relating to the moisture content and appearance of the muscular and fatty parts of the slice, as described in point
3.2, are preserved. Allowing the legs which are to be sliced or cut up into boned pieces to be kept for unspecified
periods in environments which differ from those specified could result in the development of characteristics
inconsistent with those for which ‘Prosciutto Toscano’ is known, such as the formation of abnormal mould,
abnormal protein degradation with a resulting change in the protein breakdown index, or even rancidity of the
fat, which may give rise to aromas and flavours which differ from those traditionally appreciated by consumers. In
addition, exposure of the pieces and slices of meat to the air before packaging may result in high oxidation of the
edible surfaces, turning the meat brown and drying out the surface of the exposed muscle tissue, or in limp meat in
the case of excess moisture.
3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling
The protected designation of origin ‘Prosciutto Toscano’ must be included on the label in clear and indelible
characters, distinctly separate from any other writing. It must be followed immediately by the words ‘Denomi
nazione di origine protetta’ or the abbreviation ‘DOP’. Nothing which is not expressly permitted may be added. It is
nevertheless permitted to add information referring to names, trade names or private marks, except where these are
laudatory in character or likely to mislead the buyer. Similarly, the name of the farm where the pigs were reared
which supplied the products may be shown on the leg, provided that the raw material comes entirely from the
livestock in question.
4. Concise
definition
of
the
geographical
area
Farms rearing pigs intended for the production of ‘Prosciutto Toscano’ must be located on the territory of the
following regions: Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Umbria, Lazio and Tuscany. ‘Prosciutto Toscano’ is
processed, sliced and packed in the traditional production area, which includes the entire territory of the
Tuscany region.
5. Link
with
the
geographical
area
5.1. Specificity of the geographical area
The environmental factors are closely linked to the features of the production area, predominantly comprising
valleys which are cool and abundant in water and wooded hills, all of which have a decisive influence on the climate
and on the characteristics of the finished product. The localised production of ‘Prosciutto Toscano’ is justified by the
conditions of the defined microzone: he landscape and geographical features of the Tuscany region make it ideal for
the production of high-quality hams. Even the climate, which is very different from that of neighbouring regions, is
particularly suitable for optimum ageing of the product. It is therefore a climate which is ideal for establishing a
beneficial link between the environment and typical regional products, enabling slow and healthy ageing of products
such as wine, olive oil, cheese and, of course, ham. In that environment human activity has made it possible to
perfect specific processing techniques for trimming or salting which are better suited to the environmental features
and which have been preserved up to the present day to influence decisively the characteristics of ‘Prosciutto
Toscano’ referred to under point 3.2.
5.2. Specificity of the product
‘Prosciutto Toscano’ stands out because of its characteristic sweet-smelling aroma, delicate taste and typical flavour.
‘Prosciutto Toscano’ is a raw ham whose ageing period, from salting to marketing, must not be less than 10 months
for hams with a final weight of between 7,5 and 8,5 kg, and 12 months for hams weighing more than 8,5 kg.
‘Prosciutto Toscano’ intended for slicing must be aged for two months longer than the periods stipulated above, i.e.
for at least 12 months in the case of hams weighing between 7,5 and 8,5 kg, and for at least 14 months in the case
of hams weighing more than 8,5 kg.
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)
The climate of the production area makes it possible to obtain agri-food products of very high value while favouring
and characterising the ageing and refining processes for ‘Prosciutto Toscano’. History has demonstrated the deep,
close link between agricultural production, the processing of the product and the reference areas, a link which has
been consolidated and confirmed by the development of social, economic and production factors and of human
experience which has been strengthened over the centuries. As regards the defined area from which the raw material
comes, the factors linked to geography, the environment and experience gained in production in the livestock-
rearing sector are extremely constant and characteristic. In the area which supplies the raw material, the devel
opment of animal husbandry is linked to the widespread cultivation of cereal crops and to processing systems which
have caused production to focus particularly on rearing pigs.

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EN
13.11.2013 Official
Journal
of
the
European
Union L
302/33
As regards the more limited processing area, the combination of environmental, climatic, natural and human factors
forms a unique whole which has made it possible to formalise the traditional processing method by laying down the
techniques specific to obtaining the characteristics of the PDO ‘Prosciutto Toscano’. The characteristic aroma and
taste derive from the specific processing techniques which have been regulated since the 15th century and which
provide in particular for: special trimming in an arc which is characterised by a V-shaped cut from the start of the
foot and enables drying of the meat which is more effective and more spread out over the course of salting; dry
salting using salt, pepper and natural seasoning of plant origin; coating with fat, always with pepper and natural
seasoning of plant origin and, lastly, ageing, which benefits from the environmental conditions in the production
area. The long ageing, which exposes the legs to natural moisture, combined with the use, according to local
customs, of pepper and flavourings during the salting and fat-coating stages, determine the sweet-smelling aroma,
delicate taste and typical flavour of ‘Prosciutto Toscano’.
Reference to publication of the specification
[Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006]
The text of the amended product specification may be consulted at:
http://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3335
or by going directly to the home page of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy (http://www.
politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Qualità e sicurezza’ (at the top right of the screen) and then on ‘Disciplinari di
Produzione all’esame dell’UE’.

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Document Outline

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