When European Food Regulations Go Too Far

A classification system that was designed to protect consumers and small producers often fails to help either.

Photo by NOAA on Unsplash

Geographic indications.

It’s a somewhat obscure term, but one that’s essential to understanding this article. The concept is a pretty simple one: in many countries, particularly in Europe, food producers and drink-makers can basically trademark distinctive products from their region. PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status is the best known of these legal protections for food, and is the main category used in the EU and UK.

In the US, Greek yogurt refers to a specific style of food, and there is no expectation that this product is actually prepared in Greece. In the UK, by contrast, this product has to be called “Greek-style yogurt” unless made in Greece. Photo by Tanaphong Toochinda on Unsplash

Let’s start with the most famous example, which is champagne: if you want to call your wine that, it has to be from the French region of Champagne (pronounced “sham — pan — yuh”), and produced according to a traditional process. These geographic indications are probably something you’ve heard of if you enjoy an occasional glass of wine, with famous regions like Bordeaux, Burgundy, Prosecco, and Rioja all having legally protected names, but these classifications are hugely important in the cheese industry as well, and have also been used for meat…