Division 3.7 Specific rules on labelling

The official mark attesting to the product having met the requirements justifying the use of the ‘Grana Padano’ Protected Designation of Origin, and which must therefore appear both on the whole wheel and on all the packaging of ‘Grana Padano PDO’ cheese in portions and grated, consists of a rhomboid shape over which the words ‘GRANA’ and ‘PADANO’ are stamped in upper case letters. In the upper and lower corners of the rhomboid, which are rounded, are inscribed respectively the initials ‘G’ and ‘P’.

The marking bands which cold stamp the origin mark on the wheels at the moulding stage are made up of a number of rhomboidal diamond shapes which contain within them the alternating words ‘GRANA’ and ‘PADANO’, and bear the cheese manufacturer’s identification references and the month and year of manufacture.

Only ‘Grana Padano PDO’ produced in the Autonomous Province of Trento, made using milk from cows fed throughout the year with fodder which does not include silage of any kind, qualifies for use of the special ‘Trentingrana’ marking bands, consisting of a line of rhomboidal diamond shapes split by the word ‘TRENTINO’; in the centre, between the outlines of stylised mountains, the word ‘TRENTINO’ appears right way up and in vertical rotation.

Identification of origin is completed with the affixing of a casein nameplate bearing the words ‘Grana Padano’, the year of manufacture and an alphanumeric code which unambiguously identifies each cheese wheel.

‘Grana Padano’ cheese which has been matured for at least 20 months after being moulded – within the production area – may be described as ‘RISERVA’. Classification in the category ‘Grana Padano RISERVA’ is shown by a second brand, affixed to the heel of the cheese at the request of the operators, in accordance with the same rules governing the affixing of the PDO mark. The mark in question is composed of a circle with the word ‘RISERVA’ written across the centre. In the upper half are written the word ‘OLTRE’ [more than] and the number ‘20’, and in the lower half appears the word ‘MESI’ [months].

The following additional categories are applicable in the case of packaged products: ‘Grana Padano OLTRE 16 MESI’ and ‘Grana Padano RISERVA’.

On the packaging containing cheese of the category ‘Grana Padano OLTRE 16 MESI’, the ‘Grana Padano’ logo also bears the words ‘OLTRE 16 MESI’ on a single line between two parallel lines.

On the packaging containing cheese of the category ‘Grana Padano RISERVA’, the brand RISERVA appears in addition to the ‘Grana Padano’ logo.