On Monday, a number of global food producers and organizations, including IDFA, launched the Consortium for Common Food Names, an international initiative that aims to stop efforts to restrict the use of generic food names, including efforts by the European Commission.
The new consortium opposes any attempt to monopolize generic names that have become part of the public domain, such as parmesan, feta and provolone. It also seeks to foster the adoption of a model that would protect legitimate graphic indications like “Parmigiano Reggiano” while preserving the right of all producers to use common names like “parmesan.”
The consortium does not oppose proper geographical indications (GIs) like “Camembert de Normandie” and “Brie de Meaux” cheeses from France and “Clare Island Salmon” from Ireland. For specialized products made in a specific region, it has made sense for the European Commission to protect the regional name to help preserve the unique nature of that product.
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