Vlaai is only Limburgse Vlaai if it's baked no earlier than the night before

If you want your vlaai to be considered official Limburgse Vlaai, it must be freshly baked - no earlier than the night before selling, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security, and Nature determined.

The Ministry rejected the request of a commercial baker from Panningen to scrap this requirement for certified Limburgse Vlaai and extend the shelf life, 1Limburg reports.

Limburgse Vlaai was designated a European protected regional product last year, giving it the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) label. The certified label comes with several requirements, including that the Vlaai must be freshly baked.

The commercial bakery in Panningen supplies supermarkets throughout the country and is struggling with the freshly baked requirement. It argued for extending the shelf life to a maximum of six days, saying that this would prevent food waste. The baker also claimed that the rule gave small bakeries an advantage over larger ones and that most consumers eat vlaai over several days.

The Dutch Bread and Pastry Entrepreneurs Association objected to the request to extend Limburgse Vlaai’s shelf life. The association argued that it is possible to have fresh bread daily in supermarkets, so it should be possible for these pastries too. The foundation added that supermarkets are allowed to sell vlaai with a longer shelf life, it just can’t call it Limburgse Vlaai.

The Ministry ruled against the Panningen bakery. The company has until September 19 to appeal.

Vlaai is a baked, sweet, pie-like pastry, typically with a fruit filling. The pastry is traditionally associated with the Limburg provinces in the Netherlands and Belgium, but is also very popular in Noord-Brabant and elsewhere in the country.