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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)

#171

Post by DiogenesKynikos »

distances wrote: post #137
yummybear wrote: post #74

This isn’t just an EU/US thing - even within the EU people are unhappy about not being able to call their product Feta just because it’s created outside of Greece.

I'm sure some people are unhappy. But I am, as a consumer, very happy that I can easily distinguish proper feta from second-rate imitations that used to be sold with the same name. Same for a multitude of other cheeses: say, halloumi used to be some random chewy white blob, and now I know there's a certain guarantee behind the name.

Turkish or Bulgarian feta are neither second-rate nor imitations. "Feta" is just the Greek name for a range of cheeses produced across much of the Eastern Mediterranean. But Greek cheese-producers lobbied the Greek government, and then Greece lobbied the EU, so in Europe, only cheese produced in a few regions of Greece may be called "feta." That's not because those regions produce the best feta cheese, or even because they produce a unique variety of feta that could be reliably distinguished from feta produced elsewhere. It's because they managed to convince their government to grant them a monopoly on the name. That's it.

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

#172

Post by kergonath »

roelschroeven wrote: post #20
greatgib wrote: post #9

> The wording is strange, it looks like they say that it is wrong to say that it is inauthentic. But, there is no doubt, if you buy Greek feta that is manufactured in Australia in addition with different recipes and ingredients origins, it is clearly inauthentic and deceptive.

But the thing is, what if you produce feta with the exact same ingredients and recipe in Australia? The customer gets the exact same thing, only made somewhere else. I'm all for quality standards, so that customers can now exactly what they get. But be able to use a name based on the location where something is produced, that doesn't protect the customer at all. It only protects a selected set of producers.

> But the thing is, what if you produce feta with the exact same ingredients and recipe in Australia? The customer gets the exact same thing, only made somewhere else.

Just give it a sexy, Aussie-sounding name and Bob’s your uncle. No need to pass your product for something it is not.

There are also many marketing opportunities if you are not constrained by the traditional or old-fashioned image associated with PGIs.

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

#174

Post by kergonath »

dantheman wrote: post #96
alkonaut wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems more genuine to have it remain a business/industry and not a museum. I quite like having genuine Parmesan from the right place. I’m happy to see any amount of ham fisted protectionism to keep it that way too. So to me it’s an easy win.

So all you have to do is look at where it where it was made on the label -- is that too difficult?

Well, yes. Because that’s going to be obfuscated, as it is currently done for things that are not as well protected. Look at standard honey for example. In store I can find: - bottled in the EU (without any other information) - assembled in the EU (from EU and non-EU honeys) - from the EU (whatever that means; the EU is a big place) - “made in xx” (where xx is a small place in a given EU country; the honey itself comes from somewhere else) - no information whatsoever, but with a charming “a EU family company” (actually owned by a multinational).

We know producers are playing fast and loose with labelling. The way to avoid this is regulation, which PGIs are.

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

#175

Post by kergonath »

anoncake wrote: post #18
Dah00n wrote: post #3

> To some, the very idea of signing away their heritage still rankles, however. "The Old World supplied the immigrants. It seems to be very weird that you’re saying that people can’t take culture with them," said one dairy negotiator This is no different than if Apple workers from China start selling iPhones in the US that is actually branded Apple iPhone, completely different from a "real" iPhone or exact copy, same…

As a customer, why should I care if I get an iPhone or an exact, functionally identical, copy?

If you don’t care, why would you insist on it having a specific name?

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

#176

Post by kergonath »

_nub3 wrote: post #140
himinlomax wrote: post #78

The US argument against it, based on immigrants, is rather convoluted ­— and quite idiotic. How many poor Champagne producers do you think emigrated to the US? Not one, considering how it's always been a luxury product and it's not that ancient. Do they deserve protection? Well Coca Cola sure does, why not them?

"Champagne" does sound better and more exclusive compared to "sparkling wine".

This is quite subjective. One Californian (or Australian, or whatever) sparkling wine producer could set a trend with a new, memorable name, and become more exclusive.

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

#177

Post by kergonath »

DiogenesKynikos wrote: post #171
distances wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure some people are unhappy. But I am, as a consumer, very happy that I can easily distinguish proper feta from second-rate imitations that used to be sold with the same name. Same for a multitude of other cheeses: say, halloumi used to be some random chewy white blob, and now I know there's a certain guarantee behind the name.

Turkish or Bulgarian feta are neither second-rate nor imitations. "Feta" is just the Greek name for a range of cheeses produced across much of the Eastern Mediterranean. But Greek cheese-producers lobbied the Greek government, and then Greece lobbied the EU, so in Europe, only cheese produced in a few regions of Greece may be called "feta." That's not because those regions produce the best feta cheese, or even becaus…

> Turkish or Bulgarian feta are neither second-rate nor imitations.

They also have local names, which would be fine to use. People are not completely stupid. I mean, halloumi was unheard of here [some continental EU country] a couple of years ago, and now it’s quite popular. So people can learn new names.

We can understand that cava and prosecco are similar (to a first order approximation, please don’t bite). Same for raki and ouzo. Or port and madeira. There is nothing wrong with that.

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

#178

Post by iso1210 »

dmitriid wrote: post #107
iso1210 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And the far east is also full of knock-off products, what's your point? Nobody is stopping Moldovan alcohol producers from making sparkling or fortified wines, they just can't pretend its something else in the hopes of conning the consumer.

See about cognac: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27651984 And no. As was discussed elsewhere in the comments this has nothing to do with "knock-off products"

Why do you want to sell something as congac other than to pretend your product is from Congac? Why can't your product stand on its own two feet? You could call it "Moldovan Brandy" and be done with it.

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

#179

Post by lisper »

flexie wrote: post #109
greatgib wrote: post #9

> The wording is strange, it looks like they say that it is wrong to say that it is inauthentic. But, there is no doubt, if you buy Greek feta that is manufactured in Australia in addition with different recipes and ingredients origins, it is clearly inauthentic and deceptive.

Geographic indications is far less intrusive and far less monopolistic than a trademark is. If I make a search engine the exact same way Google does, I cannot call my search engine Google. Neither in America, nor in Europe or in Asia, or even Africa or South America. And this brand is not even 30 years old. One single company, Google, has trademarked the brand for relatively little money on the entire planet, and it…

Why is drawing a boundary around a geographic region any more fair than drawing a boundary around a corporation? Either way you have a group of people who benefit and a group that does not. If you want to be part of the group that benefits from, say, the Google brand, you don't even have to move. All you have to do it buy Google stock.

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

#180

Post by Arnt »

rsynnott wrote: post #147
Arnt wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Sounds likely, coupled with a blind assumption that since the conglomerates dominate most segments in the US, they'll dominate the geographical products in Europe (and where relevant, elsewhere) to a comparable degree.
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