Ongoing

GI SMART

Matthew Gorton

Deputy Director

Matthew Gorton

Deputy Director

Overview

GI-SMART seeks to enhance the design and implementation of the Geographical Indications (GIs) to support sustainable food systems and healthy food.

Matthew Gorton and Barbara Tocco are members of GI SMART’s Newcastle team which will lead work on consumer marketing. They will work extensively with food producers and policy makers in the UK and EU to improve the marketing of GIs. The UK team also includes Cezara Nicoara from Newcastle University Business School, as well as Roberta Discetti and Artyom Golossenko from Surrey and Cardiff Universities, respectively.

The project is funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, with the Newcastle-led team funded by Innovate UK’s Horizon Europe Guarantee Extension.

GI Smart

Latest update

GI SMART Community platform launches in UK

A new platform and network for the UK’s protected foods and drinks is being launched as part of the GI SMART project. The multi-actor platform brings together producers of Geographical Indications and interested stakeholders to share the latest insights, practical tips, and market intelligence.

The UK platform will launch online, with Dr Barbara Tocco, on the 11th June 2025 at 2pm.  It will connect with an EU one, managed by the Association of European Regions for Products of Origin (AREPO).

Sign up to the platform here

About the GI SMART project

The GI SMART project aims to help:

  • Equip and support GIs producers and producers’ groups to develop strategies to improve their economic, social, and environmental sustainability.
  • Ensure alignment of GIs outcomes with new societal demands by citizens, consumers, and local communities.
  • Enhance GIs’ contribution to territorial development for rural, coastal and urban areas, by improving consumers’ understanding of, and willingness to pay for, GIs products, as well as by other value-creating activities.

Project outcomes

The GI SMART project began in June 2024 and will last for four years. Project activities will focus on achieving the following outcomes:

  • A better understanding of the contribution of GIs schemes to sustainable development and, in particular, to achieve the objectives of the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy.
  • Increased knowledge of GIs' sustainability, with development of GI-KPI sustainability indicators and database.
  • Sustainability attributes in GIs schemes are better understood and implemented by GIs producers.
  • Consumers better recognise, correctly interpret, and understand GIs schemes, and the synergies with other food quality schemes.
  • Better design and implementation of GIs policy to foster the delivery of sustainable agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries, healthy and sustainable diets, and sustainable food systems.
  • Policy makers take on board recommendations and capacity building from GI SMART for public policies to support GIs' sustainability.

Next steps

In addition to managing the GI SMART Community Platform, the Newcastle team is currently working on:

  • A state-of-the-art review of the literature relating to consumers and GIs' sustainability.
  • The design of consumer research to better understand consumer perceptions of GIs, identifying strategies to increase the demand and willingness to pay for GIs products.
  • Designing experiments to understand how best to communicate and promote the benefits of GIs to consumers.

Partners

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