European Union food snobs want to ban US cheese makers from naming their products after legendary styles that originated in famous cheese-producing regions in Europe.
The EU argues that the American-made versions of cheeses, such as Parmesan, Gruyere, Roquefort and feta — which originate from specific regions such as Parma, Italy — cut into sales of the originals, which they haughtily insist are far superior to the American upstarts.
Some US dairy producers, cheese makers and food companies are fighting the idea, which they say would cost them millions of dollars for relabeling and marketing and also confuse American cheese lovers.
They’ve found an ally in Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), who recently wrote a letter to American officials taking part in Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations.
“The EU has been working to confiscate the use of many commonly-used food names. This issue threatens the continued growth of our state’s high-quality cheese-making, particularly by small and medium-sized firms,” Schumer wrote.