The label on the outside. Sardinia on the inside.
Every wheel of Pecorino Sardo Mild and Mature, once it’s reached the minimum ageing period, is carefully checked and, if it satisfies all the requirements laid down by the product specification, is stamped with an indelible food stamp bearing the capital letters of the “PS DOP” Denomination as well as the production company's identification details.
The stamp is placed either on the side or the face of the wheel, and may be applied once or multiple times.
Mild Pecorino Sardo wheels are ready, and can be released for consumption, after a production process of between 20 and 60 days, whereas Mature Pecorino Sardo wheels can only be released after at least 2 months of ageing. The production companies are required to document all the operations they conduct during the production process, and must provide this documentation to the Control Authorities.
When the wheels are released for sale, an additional conformity check is carried out. The producer's label is then applied to provide the necessary visual identification; the label must include three elements, all of which are aimed at ensuring the wheels of Pecorino Sardo PDO can be identified at first glance at the point of sale, and that they can easily be distinguished from other cheeses made using sheep’s milk, including those produced in Sardinia!
1
The producer's label on which the Pecorino Sardo PDO trademark is arranged in a radial pattern.
2
"A numbered sticker, issued by the Consortium, which uniquely identifies each wheel. A green sticker is used for wheels of Mild Pecorino Sardo, and blue sticker is used for Mature Pecorino Sardo."
3
The EU's PDO logo.
This system, which includes a progressive alphanumeric code imprinted on each individual wheel, guarantees not only the traceability of production, but also traceability within the PDO supply chain, since from the finished product it’s always possible to follow the audit trail back to the “milk round” from which each individual production batch was made.
In addition, all packages always carry the following statement: “Certificato da Organismo di Controllo autorizzato dal Ministero competente - ITALIA". (“Certified by the Control Authority authorised by the competent Ministry - ITALY”.)