Terroir and Public Health: Can Geographical Indications of Origin Promote 'Healthy' Products?

Publication Type

Book Chapter

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

9-2016

Abstract

This chapter considers the following questions. Do geographical indications of origin (GIs) generally identify ‘healthy’ products? And, if so, can GIs promote the production of healthy products and, in turn, become a vehicle to promote public policy objectives related to public health? As I elaborate in the next sections, the brief answer to these questions is ‘maybe, but not really’. In particular, while it can be said that GIs can indeed identify healthy products, they do not always identify healthy products. Thus, it would be inaccurate to say that GIs necessarily promote public health-related objectives. Instead, at least under the current normative framework at the national and international levels, the function of GIs is to identify a variety of different types of product – agricultural, food, beverages and, in some instances, handicrafts – that are grown, manufactured and associated with a specific geographical area. Some of these products can certainly be categorized as healthy, or healthier, products compared to other products available in the marketplace.

Discipline

Health Law and Policy | Intellectual Property Law

Research Areas

Public International Law, Regional and Trade Law

Publication

The new intellectual property of health: Beyond plain packaging

Editor

Alberto Alemanno & Enrico Bonadio

First Page

283

Last Page

304

ISBN

9781784718794

Identifier

10.4337/9781784718794.00020

Publisher

Edward Elgar

City or Country

Cheltenham

Copyright Owner and License

Author

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.4337/9781784718794.00020

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS