A new tool to combat counterfeiting and strengthen the protection of Italian agri-food products with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status.
With Ministerial Decree No. 566158 of 16 October 2026, the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests (MASAF) has defined the technical specifications and procedures for using the new State-issued label for PDO products, featuring a QR Code and specific anti-counterfeiting security elements.
The decree, published on the Ministry's website on 19 October 2026, implements Article 6 of Law No. 75/2026, which introduced the possibility of using a special label to strengthen the identification, authenticity and traceability of agri-food products with Geographical Indication status.
The adoption of the label will be voluntary and, at this initial stage, will apply exclusively to prepacked PDO agri-food products. A subsequent implementing measure will be required for PGI products.
How the new PDO label works
The label will be produced exclusively by the Italian State Printing Works and Mint (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato – IPZS), using security materials and technologies designed to prevent counterfeiting and fraudulent use.
Each label will feature:
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A progressive identification number and an alphanumeric series.
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A QR Code linked to the progressive number, to facilitate identification and traceability.
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The emblem of the Italian Republic and the Italian tricolour.
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The IPZS and PDO acronyms.
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Additional anti-counterfeiting security features.
Three formats are available: two adhesive versions measuring 55 × 20 mm and 106 × 22 mm, and a holographic version measuring 25 × 25 mm.
The QR Code is one of the system's key innovations, allowing a unique identifier to be associated with each label. However, the decree does not specify which information consumers will be able to access directly by scanning the code.
The new label does not replace PDO certification, nor does it modify the requirements of the product specifications. Instead, it provides an additional tool to protect and identify certified products.
A voluntary system: the role of protection consortia
The use of the label will not be mandatory for all PDO products.
The decision to adopt it will rest with the protection consortia, through a specific resolution adopted by their general assembly. Subsequently, the relevant control body must be asked to update the control plan to incorporate the procedures for managing and verifying the labels.
For PDO products without a protection consortium, adoption will only be possible after the relevant provision has been included in the product specification.
This approach allows individual supply chains to assess the benefits of adopting the new system, taking into account product characteristics, operational processes and implementation costs.
Distribution and controls: which operators will be involved?
The decree establishes a management system involving the Italian State Printing Works and Mint, control bodies authorised by the Central Inspectorate for Quality Protection and Fraud Repression of Agri-Food Products (ICQRF), protection consortia and packaging companies.
Control bodies will play a central role in managing, collecting and distributing the labels. They may delegate these activities to protection consortia through specific agreements, which must be incorporated into the control plans.
The labels will be distributed to packaging operators holding an ICQRF identification code, who will apply them to certified product packaging.
Every stage of distribution must be documented through records that allow the quantities allocated and used to be traced.
New requirements for packaging companies
For companies operating in PDO supply chains that choose to adopt the label, the decree introdu