There is Stilton blue cheese, prosciutto Toscano, and champagne. Soon Achill Island sea salt could join the esteemed ranks of food and drink products officially recognised and celebrated because of their place of origin.
A family-run business is seeking approval from the European Commission for a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) for their “demonstrably unique” hand-harvested sea salt. For a product to be protected under PDO, it must be produced, processed, and prepared in one area and possess distinct characteristics from its place of origin.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue on Thursday announced the publication of the PDO application following scrutiny of the submission by his department. Next, the European Commission will scrutinise the application to check it meets the conditions of the respective scheme. This scrutiny period can last up to six months or longer and during which oppositions may be lodged by other member states.
Co-founder of Achill Island Sea Salt Marjorie O’Malley said the Minister’s announcement is the culmination of a gruelling application process. A green light from the European Commission would “definitely help the brand”, she said.
“We have been looking for this for a long time . . . It would recognise that our product comes from this clean and green environment. Our salt is demonstrably unique,” she added.
It was after watching a documentary about sea salt production on England’s west coast that Marjorie and Kieran O’Malley wondered why there was no such activity along Ireland’s Atlantic corridor. It transpired that there had been a long history of hand-harvesting sea salt on their own island, and in 2013 the family resurrected the forgotten tradition and founded Achill Island Sea Salt.
The company began as an experiment in their kitchen, before moving to a production facility on the island in 2016. There are “growing year-on-year” and now have four full-time employees, she said.
“We are making the most of what our surroundings have to offer us. The sea has been the lifeblood of generations living on this island . . . This is a revival of an old industry,” Ms O’Malley said.
The salt is hand-harvested from the Atlantic waters surrounding Achill Island and processed in a small factory not far inland. Their crystalline white salt was lauded by local chefs for its “soft flaky texture”, which allows it to break down easily and melt into food to rapidly enhance its flavour. Chef JP McMahon of the Michelin-starred restaurant Aniar in Galway, said the O’Malley’s salt is “undoubtedly the best sea salt in Ireland”. Its taste and “deliciously crunchy texture” are “perfect”, he added.
The salt’s qualities are attributable to the Grade A Atlantic waters, containing over 20 trace elements and benefiting from mountain freshwater run-off, as well as the slow method of crystalline, Ms O’Malley explained. The Atlantic Ocean also has the highest salinity level of all five ocean basins, she said.
Mr McConalogue said he is pleased to announce another application for an Irish food product is ready to be submitted to the European Commission for a protected status. An application is also underway to register Irish grass fed beef as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI).
Mr McConalogue said the process for approval under such EU quality schemes is “detailed and painstaking”, but assent offers a “real opportunity to underline and showcase the quality and tradition of Ireland’s food offering”.
Ireland has eight registered PDO/ PGI food product names: Clare Island Salmon; Imokilly Regato; Timoleague Brown Pudding; Connemara Hill Lamb; Waterford Blaa; Oriel Sea Salt; Oriel Sea Minerals; and Sneem Black Pudding. Irish whiskey, Irish cream and Irish poitín also have geographical indication status.
