Agriculture: Commission approves new Geographical Indication from Finland - 'Suonenjoen mansikka'

The Commission approved the addition of 'Suonenjoen mansikka' as Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), from Finland. The name ‘Suonenjoen mansikka' is used for garden strawberries grown in North Savo, Suonenjoki and its neighbouring municipalities. The ‘Suonenjoen mansikka' is completely red, juicy, and velvety soft in the mouth, and must be sweet and aromatic.

Suonenjoki has a long-standing tradition of strawberry cultivation: In 2016, there were celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of the ‘Suonenjoen mansikka'. And over the centenary, it has become an established term in Finnish culinary culture. The town's streets feature the strawberry in many forms: For instance, in the centre of Suonenjoki, there is a statue of girls gathering strawberries - the 1981 Mansikkatytöt statue by sculptor Raimo Heino. Equally, the Suonenjoki Strawberry Carnival, which has been held in honour of the strawberry in Suonenjoki since 1970, takes place on the second weekend of July – being one of Finland's longest-running summer events. Originally a strawberry harvest celebration, it has now grown into an event with some twenty thousand visitors. The carnival is traditionally launched with a procession, featuring representatives of entrepreneurs, and organizations from the region.

This new denomination will be added to the list of 1,655 food products already protected. The list of all protected geographical indications can be found in the eAmbrosia database. More information is available online at Quality Schemes and on the GIView portal.

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