# DOP, IGP, STG: what the labels mean

> Italy has 888 registered geographical indications: 330 foods, 522 wines, 36 spirits. Here is what each label guarantees and why published totals disagree.

URL: https://myitalia.it/themes/dop-igp
Last updated: 2026-09-02

Italy has 888 geographical indications registered in the European Union in 2026, made of 330 food products, 522 wines and 36 spirits, plus 4 Traditional Specialities Guaranteed which are counted separately because they protect a recipe rather than a place.

## DOP is where, IGP is partly where, STG is how

DOP, Denominazione di Origine Protetta, is the strictest: production, processing and preparation all happen in the defined area, and the raw material comes from there. Italy has 174 DOP foods.

IGP, Indicazione Geografica Protetta, requires only one of those stages in the area, which is why a cured meat can be IGP with meat from elsewhere. Italy has 156. Together the two make 330 registered food names, or 334 counting the 4 STG.

STG, Specialità Tradizionale Garantita, protects a method. Italy has exactly 4: Mozzarella Tradizionale, registered in 1998, Pizza Napoletana in 2010, Amatriciana tradizionale in 2020 and Vincisgrassi alla maceratese in 2022. Anyone in the EU may make them if they follow the rules, which is the point of the category.

## Wine is counted on its own ladder

Italy has 411 DOP wines and 111 IGP wines, 522 protected wine names in total. On an Italian label the DOP tier appears as either DOC or DOCG: 332 of the 411 carry DOC and 79 carry DOCG, the tier that adds a state tasting before bottling.

IGP wine usually appears as IGT on the bottle. This is one label, two acronyms, and both are correct.

## First in the EU, and by how much

With 888 indications Italy leads the European Union, ahead of France at 775, Spain at 397, Greece at 283, Portugal at 207 and Germany at 179. These counts come from one query on the EU eAmbrosia register covering all 27 member states, so treat the ranking as solid and the exact gap as a single source figure.

The lead is built on wine and on the sheer number of food names, not on one famous product.

## What the system is worth

The Italian geographical indication economy was worth 20.7 billion euro at production in 2024, up 3.5% on the previous year and 19% of national food and drink turnover. Food accounted for 9.64 billion and wine for 11.04 billion.

Exports passed 12 billion euro for the first time in 2024, at 12.3 billion, of which 7.19 billion was wine. Behind the labels are 183,823 producers and processors and 328 recognized consortia.

## What this means when you are buying

A DOP or IGP mark tells you the origin rules were checked; it does not tell you the jar in front of you is good, and it does not exist for most regional dishes you will eat. Regional flagship products are listed on each [region page](/regions/emilia-romagna).

Prices on this site are in euro. The 2026 counts above come from the MASAF lists and from the EU register, both checked the same day, and both move a few names a year.

## FAQ

### What is the difference between DOP and IGP?

DOP means every stage of production happens in the named area; IGP means at least one stage does, and the link to the place is looser. Italy has 174 DOP and 156 IGP foods, plus 411 DOP wines and 111 IGP wines.

### How many DOP and IGP products does Italy have?

330 food products in 2026: 174 DOP and 156 IGP, wines and spirits excluded. Add 522 protected wine names and 36 spirits and the total reaches 888 geographical indications, the highest in the European Union.

### What does STG mean on an Italian label?

Traditional Speciality Guaranteed protects a recipe or method, not a place, so it can be made anywhere in the EU to the rules. Italy has 4: Mozzarella Tradizionale, Pizza Napoletana, Amatriciana tradizionale and Vincisgrassi alla maceratese.

### Is DOCG better than DOC?

It is a stricter tier, not a taste rating. Both sit inside the 411 Italian DOP wines: 79 carry the DOCG mention and 332 the DOC mention. DOCG adds tighter yield and ageing rules plus a state tasting before bottling.

### Why do sources give different numbers of Italian protected foods?

Because they add up categories that are counted separately in the EU register. Food is 330, wine 522, spirits 36 and STG 4, and the four are not interchangeable. Any single figure between 330 and 888 is one of these slices.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sommando cibo, vino e bevande spiritose, l'Italia ha 888 indicazioni geografiche registrate nell'UE (330 agroalimentari + 522 vini + 36 spiritose), piu 4 STG, al 2026. | [Commissione europea - DG AGRI, registro eAmbrosia](https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/); [MASAF - Elenchi e disciplinari vini DOP e IGP](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/4625); [MASAF - Elenco DOP e IGP prodotti agricoli (PDF, agg. 11/06/2026)](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252Fa%252F2%252FD.e7bdb4ebe6d458c7925a/P/BLOB%3AID%3D15453/E/pdf?mode=download) | high | 2027-06-30 |
| L'Italia conta 330 prodotti agroalimentari a indicazione geografica registrati nell'UE (settembre 2026): 174 DOP e 156 IGP, esclusi i vini e le bevande spiritose. | [MASAF - Elenco DOP e IGP prodotti agricoli (PDF, agg. 11/06/2026)](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252Fa%252F2%252FD.e7bdb4ebe6d458c7925a/P/BLOB%3AID%3D15453/E/pdf?mode=download); [Commissione europea - DG AGRI, registro eAmbrosia](https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/) | high | 2027-06-30 |
| Sommando DOP, IGP e STG, l'Italia conta 334 denominazioni agroalimentari registrate nell'UE (2026). | [MASAF - Elenco DOP e IGP prodotti agricoli (PDF, agg. 11/06/2026)](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252Fa%252F2%252FD.e7bdb4ebe6d458c7925a/P/BLOB%3AID%3D15453/E/pdf?mode=download); [MASAF - Elenco e disciplinari STG prodotti agricoli](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/24230) | high | 2027-06-30 |
| L'Italia ha 411 vini a Denominazione di Origine Protetta registrati (2026). | [MASAF - Elenchi e disciplinari vini DOP e IGP](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/4625); [MASAF - Elenco alfabetico Vini DOP (PDF, agg. 27/03/2026)](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252Fd%252F5%252FD.fd1629819dea12c20cf4/P/BLOB%3AID%3D4625/E/pdf?mode=download); [Commissione europea - DG AGRI, registro eAmbrosia](https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/) | high | 2027-06-30 |
| L'Italia ha 111 vini a Indicazione Geografica Protetta (IGT) registrati (2026). | [MASAF - Elenchi e disciplinari vini DOP e IGP](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/4625); [MASAF - Elenco alfabetico Vini IGP (PDF, agg. 19/05/2026)](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252F5%252Ff%252FD.e4c1a674e6ce4cccb8ba/P/BLOB%3AID%3D4625/E/pdf?mode=download); [Commissione europea - DG AGRI, registro eAmbrosia](https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/) | high | 2027-06-30 |
| L'Italia ha 36 bevande spiritose a indicazione geografica registrate nell'UE (2026), tra cui Grappa e Vermut di Torino. | [Commissione europea - DG AGRI, registro eAmbrosia](https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| L'Italia ha 4 Specialita Tradizionali Garantite (STG) registrate nell'UE (2026): Mozzarella Tradizionale (1998), Pizza Napoletana (2010), Amatriciana tradizionale (2020) e Vincisgrassi alla maceratese (2022). | [MASAF - Elenco e disciplinari STG prodotti agricoli](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/24230); [Commissione europea - DG AGRI, registro eAmbrosia](https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/) | high | 2028-12-31 |
| L'Italia e il primo Paese dell'Unione europea per numero di indicazioni geografiche registrate: 888 nel 2026, davanti alla Francia (775) e alla Spagna (397). | [Commissione europea - DG AGRI, registro eAmbrosia](https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| I vini italiani con menzione DOCG sono 79 (2026). | [MASAF - Elenco alfabetico Vini DOP (PDF, agg. 27/03/2026)](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252Fd%252F5%252FD.fd1629819dea12c20cf4/P/BLOB%3AID%3D4625/E/pdf?mode=download) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| I vini italiani con menzione DOC sono 332 (2026). | [MASAF - Elenco alfabetico Vini DOP (PDF, agg. 27/03/2026)](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252Fd%252F5%252FD.fd1629819dea12c20cf4/P/BLOB%3AID%3D4625/E/pdf?mode=download) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| La 'DOP economy' italiana vale 20,7 miliardi di euro alla produzione nel 2024 (+3,5% sull'anno precedente, +25% sul 2020), pari al 19% del fatturato agroalimentare nazionale. | [Fondazione Qualivita / ISMEA - XXIII Rapporto Ismea-Qualivita](https://www.qualivita.it/news/presentato-il-xxiii-rapporto-ismea-qualivita/) | medium | 2027-03-31 |
| Nel 2024 il comparto cibo DOP-IGP-STG vale 9,64 miliardi di euro alla produzione (+7,7%) e il comparto vino DOP-IGP 11,04 miliardi. | [Fondazione Qualivita / ISMEA - XXIII Rapporto Ismea-Qualivita](https://www.qualivita.it/news/presentato-il-xxiii-rapporto-ismea-qualivita/) | medium | 2027-03-31 |
| L'export delle indicazioni geografiche italiane ha superato per la prima volta i 12 miliardi di euro nel 2024 (12,3 miliardi, +8,2%): 7,19 miliardi dal vino e 5,15 miliardi dal cibo. | [Fondazione Qualivita / ISMEA - XXIII Rapporto Ismea-Qualivita](https://www.qualivita.it/news/presentato-il-xxiii-rapporto-ismea-qualivita/) | medium | 2027-03-31 |
| La filiera delle indicazioni geografiche italiane conta 183.823 operatori tra produttori e trasformatori, 328 consorzi di tutela riconosciuti e circa 864.000 occupati complessivi (dati 2024). | [Fondazione Qualivita / ISMEA - XXIII Rapporto Ismea-Qualivita](https://www.qualivita.it/news/presentato-il-xxiii-rapporto-ismea-qualivita/) | medium | 2027-03-31 |

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/temi/dop-igp.md
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