Criteria for inclusion

1. Nominations for inclusion on the Ark must be food products and may include: domestic species (plant varieties, ecotypes, indigenous animal breeds and populations), wild species (only if tied to methods of harvesting, processing and traditional uses) and processed products.
2. Products must be of distinctive quality in terms of taste. ‘Taste quality’, in this context, is defined in the context of local traditions and uses.
3. Products must be linked to a specific area, to the memory and identity of a group and to local traditional knowledge.
4. Products must be produced in limited quantities.
5. Products must be at risk, due to fragile supply chains or environmental contexts that could be compromised by social, environmental, or economic factors.

Evaluations based on these criteria must account for differences in local contexts and must respect the particular cultural, social, geographic, economic, and political situations of the communities who make and protect the products in question.