CORNISH pasty manufacturers are a step closer to receiving protected status for the Cornish pasty from the European Union.

Manufacturers of such things as champagne, Parmesan and Stilton cheese already have EU protection, which makes it illegal to call products made from the same ingredients but outside the geographical region of origin by the same name.

Cornish pasty producers are now well on the their way to gaining similar protection, after national government agency DEFRA has confirmed it will back their application and send it to the European Commission for final approval.

It is hoped the move will help to protect Cornish jobs and the Cornish economy.

The application has been made by the Cornish Pasty Association (CPA), which represents around half of the pasty makers based in Cornwall.

Angie Coombs of the CPA believes that protection of regional food products is important both for consumers and the rural economies.

She explained: “The importance of the Cornish pasty industry to the wider Cornish economy cannot be stressed enough. More than 86 million Cornish pasties are collectively produced by the CPA members in Cornwall every year.

“All the members source a large percentage of ingredients locally and are important providers of year-round employment and it's estimated that 13,000 people are directly or indirectly benefiting from the trade of the CPA members.”

The CPA says that consumer demand is growing for Cornish pasties, partly due to the number of retail pasty outlets nationwide and overseas, but also because of increased interest from the supermarkets.

Angie Coombs said: “This application is a genuine attempt to protect the consumer and encourage investment in local economies. We believe it is not unreasonable to ask companies to honestly label their products so that the consumer is guaranteed a level of quality, recipe and origin when they purchase them.”

A genuine Cornish pasty has a distinctive 'D' shape and is crimped on one side, never on top. The texture of the filing is chunky, made up of uncooked minced or roughly cut chunks of beef (not less than 12.5%), swede or turnip, potato and onion, and a light peppery seasoning.

The pastry casing is golden in colour, savoury, glazed with milk or egg, and robust enough to retain its shape throughout the cooking and cooling process without splitting or cracking.

The whole pasty is slow-baked and no other flavourings or additives must be used.

CPA members hope that in a short time, to call a pasty a Cornish pasty, it must also be made in Cornwall.