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AP - Europe moves to limit cheese names in America

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Gattsu25

Banned
No. That would be akin to banning anyone from calling something *cheese*. Cola is a family of drinks, of which there are many types and brands. Protecting the Parmesan part of Parmesan Cheese is the same as protecting the Coca part of Coca Cola.

Bad analogy all around since a corporate brand is being compared to a regional style.

A better comparison would be American Cheese...excuse me I think I have to puke just thinking about it.
 

Seth C

Member
Bad analogy all around since a corporate brand is being compared to a regional style.

A better comparison would be American Cheese...excuse me I think I have to puke just thinking about it.

It's a corporate brand with its origins in the US, a region, just like Parmigiano-Reggiano is a trademarked corporate "consortium" with its origins in a region of Italy.
 

Madness

Member
Bad analogy all around since a corporate brand is being compared to a regional style.

A better comparison would be American Cheese...excuse me I think I have to puke just thinking about it.

28181_10151382626228041_1637443618_n.jpg
 
It's the Champagne bullshit all over again, European farmers and exporters butthurt about American competition and they want international laws to protect their arrogance.
 

slit

Member
Yeah I was reading about this.

Let me tell you something EU, you don't tell us what to do. I want all cheese to be purposely mislabeled from now on!!!
 

Heshinsi

"playing" dumb? unpossible
They should move this on over to restaurants too. You shouldn't be allowed to call the steaming pile of shit you serve "butter Chicken", if you aren't an Indian restaurant. I'm looking at you Wok Box.
 
Bullshit. From that specific page:

"he name is trademarked and, in Italy, legal exclusive control is exercised over its production and sale by the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese Consorzio, which was created by a governmental decree."

What do you think a trademark is, if not a trade name, sir?

It's not a trademark owned by a company, it's a government-protected designation for a consortium of producers of a specific region. "Made in the US" ain't a trademark either.

Anyway, the problem is really simple. The EU has really strict regulations about the designations and origins labelling of products, including names and advertising. Stuff like this, for example:

101012_SEA_1634F_PRN_Ricotta_Side_Biazzo_D.jpg


with an italian flag, "traditional Italian", and even a fake italian stamp, wouldn't fly here if made by, say, a Belgian producer. Since the new trade talks could lead to a deepening of the common market the EU is looking for a way to safeguard their producers and consumers against false advertising, and to preserve their existing legislation.

Maybe the talks will go through, maybe they won't. Nobody is looking to tread on your precious freedoms.
 

Aureon

Please do not let me serve on a jury. I am actually a crazy person.
Meh, as long as it's just a stop to false marketing.
As is, call it parmesan, but not be allowed to intentionally mislead consumers into thinking they're buying some italian-imported product when they aren't.
 

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
Are we going to argue that the cow's diet in Europe somehow makes a difference in the taste of the milk used for the cheese? Because other than that, the process is exactly the same. I don't believe a connoisseur could tell the difference between a high quality North American cheese and its European equivalent.

Not only does the diet make a huge difference in dairy composition (more CLA, DHA, VItamin K2 from grass versus corn), but they actually take the time to age the cheese. Such a huge difference. I'm not even nit picking at how Walmart's Parmesan is basically soy and salt.
 

The Adder

Banned
It's not a type of cheese it's like a trademark. You don't call coca cola every soda, you don't call parmesan every hard cheese. And thankfully so, many other varieties exists, taste different, and deserve their own names.

There are large regions of the US that use "Coke" to refer to all colas generically.
 

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
European cheese elitists probably should visit Wisconsin. Cheese is not a food there, it is a way of life.

I'm skeptical it's remotely close to a fraction of what's available in Paris.
 

Beant

Member
Not sure what the situation is internationally but we're not supposed to call sparkling wine "Champagne" unless it actually comes from the region of the same name in France.

Which is why the good 'champagnes' refer to themselves as sparkling wines if they aren't made in "Champagne" because they abide by the rules! The crappy sparkling wines refer to themselves as "Champagne" even though they aren't supposed to! I think the rules are stricter now, but some (such as Andre) have got a grandfathered label so they can keep calling their swill Champagne.
 

LeleSocho

Banned
While I understand what you're saying, even within the EU the name "parmesan" only became protected as recently as 2008. Meanwhile it has been used as a generic name for the style in the rest of the world since...forever. It happens, and that's just the way it is. We sell, and recognize, the protected trade name of "Parmigiano-Reggiano" here in the US.

Even for our own product, Coca-Cola, we do not protect the generic version "cola", in the US or abroad -- this despite the fact that the company and brand, Coca-Cola, popularized and apparently introduced the first "cola" and include it in their name.

Given that, why on earth would we protect the generic term "parmesan"?
I don't really care in the slightest if they want to protect this or that name you can call how you want it for all i care, i was discussing of the fact that they decided to adopt this solution while not having a good substitute name for the product.
The only things that matters is that they find a way to make sure that every customers and not only the somewhat expert ones (and given the food culture in the US that means almost no one) know if they are buying a product that comes from Italy, Greece or whatever or if it's produced locally.
What makes it a fake? Lots of Italian immigrants in North American that used to make cheese in Italy. We're not talking about some complex process here. The ingredients and process are essentially the same.

Fake in the "i'm trying to rip you off making you believe this thing is done in such place and in such a way while in reality is not" way.
Now i'll bring another example in the mix since they were the hot topics of the mini documentary i happen to watch recently.
Like cheese also oil is sold the same way in the US. You see Italian-ish sounding names for the brand with italian flags everywhere and what not when it's actually oil that it's made California. This kind of things deceives the consumer which will tend to think that is buying a product that have certain qualities while it really doesn't.
Also yeah sorry to disappoint you but essentially the same it's not the same here we relies even on stuff like winds to give flavour to the products like ham.
It's exactly like wine, grapes growing only a few Km of distance apart can result in a totally different tasting wine.
 

Madness

Member
Crazy how it's only Europe that is going after this kind of extreme "region" branding, especially with regards to products. They must really be worried about their own industries. I read a story where some Italian businessman went to India and found that he could make a certain mozzarella from buffalo's that tasted better than anything back home.

I'm also assuming that a lot of the cheese culture and tradition in the US was brought by Italians when they migrated here.
 
I'm also assuming that a lot of the cheese culture and tradition in the US was brought by Italians when they migrated here.

The Dutch are no slouches either. I'd love to eat high quality american cheese here in Europe, they could carve a niche too if marketed correctly.
 

starmud

Member
what a crock of BS.

the only thing i understand in limiting is marketing. many U.S. cheese producers make their product appear to be import when it isn't. making the consumer think they are buying an imported "specialty" product when its really from your backyard.

lets also take that in approach thats reasonable, just because kraft slaps the colors of the Italian flag on their grated parm, dosent mean anyone believe its from Italy. i'd also argue such marketing is healthy overall for the Italians, even for the poorest americans it gives them a visual marketing connection to italy and what its "known" for. the free marketing debate can go both ways.

i can't even believe Canada agreed to the feta idea. what insanity. feta is feta, non greek produced feta isn't "feta like product". god damnit.
 

Gannd

Banned
I'm skeptical it's remotely close to a fraction of what's available in Paris.


Wisconsin Cheese makers are the best in the world. There was a world cheese event and Wisconsin got 21 blue ribbons. The next closest country had 5.
Wisconsin has superseded the world in cheese.
 

ISOM

Member
The cheese industry in the US $4 billion. I doubt the US would agree to european demands. There are already 55 senators opposed to it.
 

CLEEK

Member
It's the Champagne bullshit all over again, European farmers and exporters butthurt about American competition and they want international laws to protect their arrogance.

No, it's about an industry based on producing high quality products being undermined by inferior, cheaper products trading under the same brand name.

This is what its about. Brand protection. Trade marking.

These are all regional products, and the regions that produce them wan the protection that gets afforded to every other industry. Just because the average American hasn't heard of Parma or Cheddar doesn't make any difference.
 

Talon

Member
To be fair, the Parmesan most people buy in stores is nothing like Parmigiano-Reggiano. Or, hell, the shitty, foil-packed Brie tastes like chalk compared to the real stuff.

We know how to make Cheddar, Munester, and Blue cheeses though.
 

Zoc

Member
To the anti-real cheese name Americans in this thread: Don't you have any fucking pride? If your cheese is good, why do you want to pass it off as European?
 

Des0lar

will learn eventually
Wisconsin Cheese makers are the best in the world. There was a world cheese event and Wisconsin got 21 blue ribbons. The next closest country had 5.
Wisconsin has superseded the world in cheese.

Now I crave cheese. Good cheese.

Fuck why do I live in Japan right now :(
 

Inversive

Member
Yes, because they can go fuck themselves with this selfish bullshit. Those products are famous and popular here in American due to American advertising and production of said products. We do the leg work and then suddenly its "Oh hey America, thanks for creating a profitable market in your country, but how about these products can only carry the names if they are from Europe?"

you sound very butthurt.

anyway good move, Americans giving good cheese a bad name.
 

CLEEK

Member
To all the Yanks complaining, these trade agreements work both ways. You can't set up a distillery in Europe and start selling Bourbon. It's a regional product protected by international trade agreements.
 

Log4Girlz

Member
you sound very butthurt.

anyway good move, Americans giving good cheese a bad name.

Its ridiculous to try to "protect" regional names only after they became profitable in America. How convenient. We popularize a brand name, then they want to make it exclusive and take advantage of our hard work.
 

CLEEK

Member
Wisconsin Cheese makers are the best in the world. There was a world cheese event and Wisconsin got 21 blue ribbons. The next closest country had 5.
Wisconsin has superseded the world in cheese.

Haha, are you talking about the American Cheese Society awards? You know, where American cheese companies battle it out against a handful of their international completion (from Canada and Mexico).

It's a World event in the same the same way as the World Series is. Or rather, isn't.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
I don't see what the US gains by agreeing to that. Just call their bluff. They aren't goings stop shipping cheese or do anything other than puff up and act real mad.
 

CLEEK

Member
Its ridiculous to try to "protect" regional names only after they became profitable in America. How convenient. We popularize a brand name, then they want to make it exclusive and take advantage of our hard work.

Insane. The cheeses being referred to in this mooted trade agreement are older than the USA. They did not only become 'popular' after US makers started mass producing them. Remember, the US is country of immigrants, who would have imported the original from Europe anyway if they couldn't source it locally.

It is literally the opposite. The US makers have taken an established, high quality brand from another country/region, and are trading on its name.
 

Log4Girlz

Member
Insane. The cheeses being referred to in this mooted trade agreement are older than the USA. They did not only become 'popular' after US makers started mass producing them. Remember, the US is country of immigrants, who would have imported the original from Europe anyway if they couldn't source it locally.

It is literally the opposite. The US makers have taken an established, high quality brand from another country/region, and are trading on its name.

They weren't real money makers until we made them so. Now everyone in the US knows what Parmesan is because of shit US brands. So now the EU wants to say oh, hey America, now that you know what Parmesan (insert EU product name here) is and your people want to buy it, you all need to stop using that name so that people who know that name now only buy our Parmesan. Thanks for the money.

Remember, this is about establishing what can or cannot be used in the US. Many products were in fact established in Europe, but had no market here. Now that there is one, they want to shut everything that actually made that product popular HERE in the first place so that they can profit off our marketing and brand awareness. Free work.
 
Too late. We've been using parmesan, cheddar, etc, as generic labels for hundreds of years. Nobody in the US knows that Cheddar is a village in England. At one point, it probably was trading on a name, but that point was a very, very long time ago.

This is like, a hundred years from now the people of Hamburg, Germany demand that the rest of the world stop using the word "hamburger." Too late, friends.
 
Ok Europe, in return, Australia and the United States would like to limit your use of the term "olive oil" to "canola, rapeseed, and soybean oil" to better represent what is being exported.
 
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