Specifications of Certification

The basic requirements that need to be met by a restaurant in order to be awarded the “Quality Label of Cretan Cuisine” of the Region of Crete are as follows:

• They will offer Cretan dishes, in significantly greater quantities than their other dishes (a minimum 65% of the menu will need to be Cretan dishes).
• There will be an exclusive use of local products that are central for the Cretan cuisine and are abundantly produced in Crete (e.g. cheese, sheep and goats meat, fresh vegetables).
• There will be an exclusive use of extra virgin and virgin olive oil in cooking, including deep frying.
• There dishes will be of notable quality which should be representative of the Cretan cuisine and will be able to easily please the average consumer.
• They will use a minimum number of local wines, making sure that the Cretan vineyard is well represented.
• They comply with all hygiene and food safety standards, in accordance with existing food safety legislation.

The awarding certification body for the Quality label is the ‘Cretan Quality Agreement.’  Their certification department has been established in accordance with the international standard EN 45011 for certification bodies.