Posted on 03/12/2014 1:14:06 PM PDT by Red Badger
WASHINGTON – Errico Auricchio produced cheese with his family in Italy until he brought his trade to the United States more than 30 years ago. Now, the European Union is saying his cheese isn't authentic enough to carry a European name.
As part of trade talks, the EU wants to ban the use of names like Parmesan, feta and Gorgonzola on cheese made in the United States. The argument is that the American-made cheeses are shadows of the original European varieties and cut into sales and identity of the European cheeses.
Auricchio, president of Wisconsin-based BelGioioso Cheese Inc., says he has no idea what he would call his Parmesan if he had to find a new name.
"I Can't Believe It's Not Parmesan," he jokes.
The Europeans say Parmesan should only come from Parma, Italy, not from Auricchio's plant or those familiar green cylinders that American companies sell. Feta should only be from Greece, they say, even though feta isn't a place. The EU argues it "is so closely connected to Greece as to be identified as an inherently Greek product."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
This could turn into a meunster!
It’s a Feta accompli..............
The EU has place of origin rules. Food products labeled as being made in a certain geographical region must be made and packaged there and only such products have the legal right to use the regional label in order to assure authenticity.
The real products tend to be of high quality and are priced accordingly.
We’ll just have to Camembert it...........
Am I wrong that the EU allows Raw Milk cheese production and in the US you can only use milk that has been pasteurized to death?
If that is still true, they have a point.
As wine goes they have lots of allies, but they’re gonna find themselves provolone on this one.
If they have no way of enforcing it over here, it don’t mean Jack.
AWWW! The cat’s eaten it!
They can’t use the word “internet”.
You’d have to change the name of nearly every cheese made in America except American cheese! And the Euros better not be making American cheese!
It’s all about money - as usual...
They can have all the European names but we get to keep the American ones. Like “Swiss”.
I Cheddar to think of all the trouble caused by an embargo..........
But as I said, without enforcement power this won’t mean Edam thing.
And we got a LOCK on “Velveeta”, Pierre, so git offn yer high horse.
Personally I wouldn’t be heartbroken if Americans stopped making American cheese.
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