The Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (previously Institut National des Appellations d'Origine) (INAO) is the French organization charged with regulating French agricultural products with Protected Designations of Origin (PDOs). Controlled by the French government, it forms part of the Ministry of Agriculture. The organization was co-founded by Châteauneuf-du-Pape producer Baron Pierre Le Roy.
Every Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC), the French term for PDOs, is produced according to rules codified by the INAO. Because its primary purpose is to regulate the use of noteworthy names, one of its primary tasks is to delimit the geographic area entitled to produce a product. For wine this means vineyards, but the INAO also regulates the places of processing and aging.
The INAO, like many organizations charged with regulating and helping producers, is often put in a contradictory position. An individual farmer may want his farm to be included in the limited area, but that might have the effect of diluting the average quality of the area. Rarely is this without controversy, and it is a delicate balancing act.
Read more about Institut National Des Appellations D'Origine: History
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