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19 November 2008
When is a Feta Cheese not a Feta Cheese?
If you're involved in the cheese industry, or simply a cheese lover, you may be aware that many cheese producers have been prevented from using the name "Feta" on their cheese. They've even been prevented from saying their cheese is Feta-style, "Like" Feta, or similar to Feta! Prevented, that is, unless they are Greek cheese producers. This is because, like many other well-known cheeses such as Gorgonzola, Camembert de Normandie and Parmigiano Reggiano, Feta cheese was successfully registered as a PDO - a Protected Designation of Origin. As a result, and despite challenges to this protection by the Danish and German governments, Greek cheese producers now have the exclusive right, in the EU to use the name Feta to describe their cheese, provided of course, they meet certain specific conditions.
Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) are geographical indications, defined in European Law to protect the names of regional foodstuffs and beverages. Cheeses, meats, beers, honey and fruit, to mane but a few, have all been registered as PDOs or PGIs. The law ensures that only products genuinely originating in that region, and adhering to certain quality and production conditions are allowed to be labelled as such.
To quality for a PDO the food must either be produced, processed or prepared exclusively in that geographic area, an area to which it must somehow owe its characteristics. For example, Roquefort cheese must be made entirely from the milk of Lacaune, Manech and Basco-Béarnaise breeds of sheep and matured in the caves near the town of Roquefort in France, where it is infected with the spores of a fungus (Penicillium roqueforti) that grows in these caves, thereby giving the cheese is typifying character. For PGIs the requirements are less stringent; the product must enjoy a good reputation and one of the steps of production, processing or preparation must take place within the area. Otherwise the protection afforded by the two terms is the same.
The purpose of the law is to protect the reputation of the regional foods and eliminate unfair competition and misleading of consumers by non-genuine products, which may be of inferior quality or of different flavour. The main reasons for the law are:
- the promotion of products with specific characteristics, particularly those coming from less-favoured or rural areas;
- the improvement of the income of farmers;
- the retention of population in rural areas; and
- the provision of clear and succinct information to consumers regarding product origin.
Some might think that similar to the "straight banana" scenario, this is typical of European interference in Irish food and food production. However, the scheme is benefiting far more food producers than you might suspect. While gaining protected status can take some time, once protected, no unauthorised producers can use the name of that product. Such products, adhering to the conditions set down in the names requirements, can attract a premium price, often being perceived as delicacies and giving them a commercial edge or their competitors.
So why bother? Well, for example, 578,000 tonnes of beef were produced in Ireland in 2007, 90% of which was exported . When there's so much beef on the market, both in Ireland and throughout Europe, the PGI "Irish Beef" can be used by all qualifying producers, for free, to guarantee it's the real thing. It can act as a marketing tool to highlight the products special features. Such a registration helps eliminate fraudulent and misleading use of the term. In addition, bi-lateral International Trade agreements with countries such as Australia, Canada and the USA are leading to international recognition of the PDO/PGI acronym and logos, too. Finally, if you qualify, you can command a premium price for a premium product, which can make a valuable contribution to sustainable rural development. From the consumer's point of view, purchasing a PDO/PGI labelled product guarantees not only its quality, but its authenticity, too.
In total, there are over 1200 names either registered or applied for as a PDO/PGI. Unsurprisingly, almost 50% of these originate from Italy and France. Ireland has registered one PDO - Imokilly Regato and three PGIs - Clare Island Salmon, Timoleague Brown Pudding and Connemara Hill Lamb. There is one PGI application currently pending for "Irish Beef". Given the size of Irelands agricultural industry, and the agri-industry's ownership of 8.5% of the total export market, with 73% of agricultural exports directed to the European market , this is clearly an under-utilised resource.
Hazel Tunney, FRKelly
