The Cornish Pasty Association (CPA) is waiting to hear whether Defra will support its application to gain Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status for the Cornish pasty under EU law.

This will mean that only those within Cornwall who make pasties to an agreed standard will be able to call their products ’Cornish pasties’. The campaign began in 2003.

If Defra backs the PGI application it will go to the European Commission for approval, a process that may take six months.

In 2005, 41 members of the CPA produced 86 million pasties worth £60m. This represented 6% of total Cornish food production. The CPA currently has 54 members whose annual turnover exceeds £150m, said CPA spokeswoman Angie Coombs.

In a separate development, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) enraged pasty makers by warning of a lethal link between its ingredients and heart disease. The FSA says the pasty’s main ingredients ? meat and pastry - contain high levels of saturated fats.

Elaine Ead of the Chough bakery in Padstow countered: "A proper Cornish pasty hasn’t got lots of fat in it. There is no saturated fat in our pastry."

Another baked product expected to gain PGI status soon is the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie. The seven members of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association have been pursuing PGI status since 1998.