Agricultural products, including wines
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) is granted to certain French agricultural products (including wine, spirits, cheese and some meats, lavender, lentils, honeys and butters) to certify their place of origin, quality, and style. AOC certification is granted annually. Earlier French controls of this type include a parliamentary decree in 1411 to regulate the production and origins of the blue sheep's milk cheese, Roquefort. Regulations around French wine were made in 1905, and in 1935 the Institut National de l'Origine et de la Qualité (INAO) was set up to develop and enforce rules about the types of grapes that can be grown in certain areas, as well as how wines (and other protected agricultural products) need to be made if they want to carry the name of a given appellation. The INAO (now the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité) is administered in France's Ministry of Agriculture and operates the AOC system. Other countries in Europe as well as Canada and the USA have systems similar to the AOC.
