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The EU’s disputed system of geographical indications is taking over the planet (2017)

politico.eu

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Re: The EU’s disputed system of geographical indications is taking over the planet (2017)

#141

Post by Bayart »

djbebs wrote: post #86
Bayart wrote: post #76

>"The Old World supplied the immigrants. It seems to be very weird that you’re saying that people can’t take culture with them," You can take the culture, not the terroir , that's the point. Actual buffalo mozzarella from Campania, to take something that would be familiar to an English-speaking audience, just tastes different. Using the same process isn't enough . And that's assuming the culture survives untouched, w…

Theres no such thing as "terroir" the whole concept is bullshit intended to justify the unjustifiable.

It's a core part of how we think about food. And pretty much all of the Old World works the same, really. There's a reason why it's a complete non-issue in Asia.

What's that so-called « unjustifiable », dare I ask ?

Re: The EU’s disputed system of geographical indications is taking over the planet (2017)

#143

Post by Zababa »

TheJoeMan wrote: post #127
himinlomax wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if you make Cola that tastes exactly like Coca Cola, with the same ingredients? Geographical origins serve the same purpose as registered trademark, the only significant difference is that they don't belong to a single corporation.

What if Atlanta, GA, USA decrees that “Cola” has to be made in Atlanta, and that cheap stuff at Walmart has to be “RC Cola-style”?

Atlanta doesn't have a multiple hundred years tradition of making "Cola" that started before the industrial age, which is the case for most EU food concerned by this.

Re: The EU’s disputed system of geographical indications is taking over the planet (2017)

#144

Post by fennecfoxen »

DiogenesKynikos wrote: post #123
ben_w wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve never tried American-made “feta”, but I have tried American-made “cheddar”, and it’s so far from the real stuff it’s closer to “vegan cheese”. If this is due to generally lower standards, or actually because of the differences in milk and/or bacterial cultures, I couldn’t possibly comment. But it is noticeable.

"Cheddar cheese" has been produced in America for hundreds of years - the technique was brought over by English colonists. There are many different types of "cheddar" in the US now, including several different regional cheddars (think Vermont cheddar and Wisconsin cheddar). Some are more like English cheddar, some are quite different. But it would be silly to insist that only cheddar from Cheddar in England can be ca…

Cheddaring is a manufacturing technique where you stack the loaves of cheese curds, to squeeze out some additional whey.

Re: The EU’s disputed system of geographical indications is taking over the planet (2017)

#145

Post by 123pie123 »

iso1210 wrote: post #73
dougmwne wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's interesting is that the US absolutely has a huge amount of regional food. Many food items are tied to a specific city, and this goes way beyond the Philadelphia Cheesesteak. The food was often a reimagining of immigrants' foods from back home, but with a distinctively new twist. But rather than identify and celebrate these food traditions, the US chooses to structure its policy around Kraft and General Mills a…

Florida Orange Juice, Vidalia onions, Idaho potatoes, and of course the "Made In USA" stamp.

I'm I right in thinking that 'Florida Orange Juice' has to come from Florida?

what law would a company be breaking in the US, if say a company used oranges from a different state than Florida and made Orange juice and labeled it 'Florida Orange Juice' because the company used the same type of oranges or the owner was from florida?

Re: The EU’s disputed system of geographical indications is taking over the planet (2017)

#146

Post by Zababa »

DiogenesKynikos wrote: post #62
pimterry wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The argument is that the details matter. Slightly different breeds of animal, different weather conditions, or different bacterial ecosystems affect the resulting cheese. You can make something similar to these products elsewhere, but it won't be exactly the same. Some products are famous and specific enough that customers have a right to be able to know when it's the real deal (and there are many such customers - ot…

I always feel these arguments are a bit disingenuous. You would be extremely hard-pressed to tell "authentic" Feta cheese apart from "Feta-like" cheese produced in any number of places around the world. These laws are not about protecting the consumer from inauthentic products. They're about protecting producers from competition. Exclusive ownership of famous culinary names like "Feta" and "Champagne" is valuable, an…

> These laws are not about protecting the consumer from inauthentic products. They're about protecting producers from competition.

Yes, they are, and I have no problem with that. When I buy "Comté", I want the money to go in the region where my grandparents were born and raised, where we spent lots of vacations visiting museum, caves and enjoying the local cheese. I don't want some kind of global industry stealing the name "Comté" to help sell a knockoff. These days Comté is not my favorite cheese, I have a soft sport for Italian cheeses and discovered recently some Eastern European ones that are delicious. But when I want Comté, I want Comté, made in Jura, by Montbéliardes cows. If they don't respect this, it's not Comté.

Re: The EU’s disputed system of geographical indications is taking over the planet (2017)

#147

Post by rsynnott »

Arnt wrote: post #48
ginko wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ever heard of Unilever or Nestlé?

Of course. But what do you mean to say? Do, for example, try to suggest that Unilever or Nestlé sells as much "parmesan" in Europe as Kraft sells in the US? (I mention parmesan and Kraft because the article does — feel free to substitute any other product/conglomerate pair.)

I assume their point was that enormous food conglomerates aren’t just a US thing.

Re: The EU’s disputed system of geographical indications is taking over the planet (2017)

#148

Post by raverbashing »

api wrote: post #104
Bayart wrote: post #76

>"The Old World supplied the immigrants. It seems to be very weird that you’re saying that people can’t take culture with them," You can take the culture, not the terroir , that's the point. Actual buffalo mozzarella from Campania, to take something that would be familiar to an English-speaking audience, just tastes different. Using the same process isn't enough . And that's assuming the culture survives untouched, w…

I find it hard to believe we can’t figure out why it tastes different.

We usually can. But does it matter?

Canadian cheese tastes like nothing on a good day. If by negligence, consumer taste or regulations it seems it's not bothering most consumers.

Re: The EU’s disputed system of geographical indications is taking over the planet (2017)

#149

Post by rsynnott »

dmitriid wrote: post #129
lou1306 wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Imagine if no country could call whisky, well, whisky, and each country had to invent their own name for it. Well that's actually what happens, more or less: we do have Scotch whisky, Irish whiskey, and bourbon, and you cannot make some whisky in, say, France, and sell it as "Scotch". For what it's worth, EU laws also struck Italy, which cannot sell "Tocai" wine no more (now it's called Friulano) because the name s…

> you cannot make some whisky in, say, France, and sell it as "Scotch" I'm actually totally fine with geographic specifications for a general name. Like "Scotch whiskey" vs. "Irish whiskey". But some things do reach ridiculous proportions like Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey all trying to lay claim to yoghurt.

> I'm actually totally fine with geographic specifications for a general name. Like "Scotch whiskey" vs. "Irish whiskey".

Wait, what are you complaining about, then? Cognac and Champagne are places.

Re: The EU’s disputed system of geographical indications is taking over the planet (2017)

#150

Post by rsynnott »

TheJoeMan wrote: post #127
himinlomax wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if you make Cola that tastes exactly like Coca Cola, with the same ingredients? Geographical origins serve the same purpose as registered trademark, the only significant difference is that they don't belong to a single corporation.

What if Atlanta, GA, USA decrees that “Cola” has to be made in Atlanta, and that cheap stuff at Walmart has to be “RC Cola-style”?

Based on the European rules, they might have some success claiming exclusivity on ‘Atlanta cola’ (though Coca Cola probably wouldn’t want them to do this, as any company making it in Atlanta to a specified standard would be able to use the name).

Honestly I assume this is more or less why the food industry resents protected names so much; it’s perceived exclusivity/specialness, but not based on a brand controlled by a single company.

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