Recognition for the unique way the fish are caught and the historical significance of fishing for sardines in Cornish waters means shoppers will now be sure they know what they are buying.
Protected Food Name status covers regional and traditional foods whose authenticity and origin can be guaranteed. It means any food or drink registered has legal protection against imitation across the EU.
Sardines join the likes of Cornish clotted cream, Westcountry farmhouse cheddar and Melton Mowbray pork pies, which are already protected.
Food and farming minister Jim Fitzpatrick is expected to officially announce that Cornish sardines are to be protected at an event in London today.
Last night he said he was "delighted" with the decision, which "recognises the tradition and long-established ties Cornwall has with the fishing industry and reinforces the fact that quality British regional food is gaining the wider recognition it deserves".
The announcement means 40 British products are now covered.
Nick Howell, chairman of the Cornish Sardine Management Association, said: "The fishermen and processors of Cornwall have combined their efforts over the past 10 years in re-building this traditional fishery."
He said it had been a "complex process" to obtain EU approval but hoped now to be able to "focus on promoting the sustainability and quality of our brand".
Records of Cornish pilchards being exported date back to 1555, when they were salted, pressed and packed into wooden barrels and boxes and sold across Europe. They were re-branded Cornish sardines in the late 1990s.
In recent months, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has stepped up efforts to promote a growing range of iconic Westcountry foods, amid concern shoppers and retailers do not realise they are protected by law.
For example, campaigners hope the humble Cornish pasty could join Whitstable Oysters and Stilton cheese.
Mr Fitzpatrick said: "Ultimately, I want to us to be up alongside France and Italy, who among them boast more than 300 protected foods.
"Our food is just as good, if not better, as any other European country's.
"I want to see the UK's regional foods on the world map."
Cornish clotted cream received the highest level of protected status in 1998. It must be made in Cornwall, using traditional processes, from Cornish milk.
article copyright THE CORNISHMAN