I have NO sympathy or even patience for the US Not being willing to protect Port, Parmesan, Parma ham, Feta, Roquefort, Mozzarella, Italian Tuscan olive oil, Chianti, Chablis and Champagne.

Why should Kraft be able to call 60 million pounds a year of grated cheese (of dubious heritage) parmesan ??  Why would a change to Pamesello Italiano be so terrible?? I "might" compromise at "Parmesan Style" if both words were equal.

But then why wouldn't EU be willing to give protection to Florida orange juice or Idaho potatoes?

Such designations insure certain standards, and discourage lower quality "counterfeits" being pawned off on unsuspecting consumers. Information has and always will  be the Consumers greatest Defense.

Houston Chronicle
By Shelly Emling
Cox News Service
Nov. 25, 2004

LONDON - ...Americans might consider a food fight that's brewing between the United States and the European Union.

At issue is the EU's protection within Europe of dozens of place names where "high-quality goods" are produced. They include foods and drinks such as Port, Parmesan, Roquefort, Chianti and Champagne.

Europeans argue that Chablis, for example, should only be called Chablis if it's from Chablis.

They are demanding a global trade agreement that protects at least 41 food and drink names — an agreement that could strike common items such as "feta" off the lists of American shoppers.

But the United States claims that most of the names have passed into everyday usage in the decades since European immigrants introduced them to America.

Report pending

Currently the issue is before the 146-nation World Trade Organization.

A confidential interim report issued by a WTO dispute panel last week drew disagreement from both sides.

People close to the trade body initially said that the WTO had criticized the EU for protecting its own "geographic indications" without doing the same for non-European items like Florida orange juice or Idaho potatoes.

That view seemed to indicate the WTO had backed a complaint filed by the United States and Australia in April 2003 in which they sought to keep using the names generically.

But this week Arancha Gonzalez, an EU spokeswoman, said the WTO had actually ruled in its favor.

"The preliminary results of the panel go in the direction of strengthening the European Union's system of food names, which was being attacked by the U.S. and Australia," she said.

She said that the WTO report had merely asked the EU to clarify whether products from outside the EU could be registered in Europe's geographic indicator system.

Part of the vernacular

A final WTO report that will clarify the still-secret interim report isn't likely to be issued for another six months. Until then, it appears the two sides will continue sparring.

"You just can't tell Americans to stop using ancestral names on their products," said Gary Litman, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's vice president for Europe.

He said a ruling in favor of the EU would create "thousands of little monopolies for products identified with a small village or community."

It would also mean that American producers would no longer be able to use a regional name in their promotional material for dozens of items.

And that contention is nothing to snivel at.

Already a European court has ruled that U.S. food giant Kraft, which sells 60 million pounds of grated parmesan a year, must change the name of its cheese in Europe to Pamesello Italiano.

What's worse for foreign producers, Litman emphasized, is that Europe has threatened to compile a list of over 600 products identified with specific places.

"How far would they have us go?" he asked.

That's not mozzarella

Meanwhile, EU officials are outraged that the WTO's confidential interim report was leaked — inaccurately, they say.

They say foreign producers of European products such as Chablis and mozzarella are phonies and that they're taking advantage of the strong reputations that European producers have built through decades or centuries of making distinct products in controlled environments.

For the EU, geographical indications provide value. For example, Italian Tuscan olive oil has been sold at a premium of 20 percent since its name received protection in the EU in 1998.

EU officials say they will fight for protection not only at the WTO, but also at global trade talks.

They already have won the backing of various developing countries demanding protection for their own products, such as Basmati rice, Blue Mountain coffee and Ceylon tea....

HoustonChronicle.com - Names could be top casualties in WTO food fight
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/
ssistory.mpl/business/2918530