Recognition of Limburgse vlaaien saved: objection by Dutch industrial baker rejected
The recognition of the pastry “Limburgse vlaai” as a regional product has been saved. The objection of a Dutch industrial baker against the strict requirements that a recognised vlaai must meet has been rejected by the competent Dutch minister Femke Wiersma, reported Het Belang van Limburg on Thursday.
Last year, the Limburgse vlaai, a type of pie usually filled with fruit or rice pudding, was granted protected geographical indication status by the European Commission. Since then, only vlaaien produced in Belgian Limburg or Dutch Limburg that meet specific quality criteria can be sold under this name. Due to a calculation error in Belgian Limburg, the product dossier however had to be amended, which gave the Dutch industrial baker Goedhart the opportunity to lodge an objection.
“If Dutch industrial bakers want to sell six-day-old vlaai, they should certainly do so, but not under the label ‘Limburgse vlaai’”
The biggest stumbling block for the Dutch bakery was the term “daily fresh”. A daily fresh vlaai is no more than 48 hours old. According to the factory baker, this is unfeasible for large-scale bakeries that supply supermarkets and would give small bakeries an advantage over industrial bakeries, as stated in the objection. Goedhart therefore wanted to extend the term “daily fresh” to a maximum shelf life of six days. But Dutch minister Femke Wiersma declared the objection unfounded.
The competent Flemish minister, Jo Brouns, is satisfied. “There are now no more obstacles to recognition,” he said. “If Dutch industrial bakers want to sell six-day-old vlaai, they should certainly do so, but not under the label ‘Limburgse vlaai’.” Goedhart can still appeal the decision until 19 September.
#FlandersNewsService | Limburgse vlaaien © PHOTO ANP / ROB ENGELAAR
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