ARMONK, N.Y. — Family-owned cheese importer and distributor, World’s Best Cheeses is taking the cheese by the rind. To combat the proposed European tariffs on specialty products, they have initiated a grass roots campaign to raise awareness of the imported cheese crisis and most importantly encourage consumers to sign an online petition at ImportCheeseLovers.com. If the tariff is approved, duties on many beloved imported European cheeses could reach up to 100%. That’s why the New York and California based company is hoping to get enough consumers to sign the petition in order to “Save the Cheese”.
To put this into perspective for the general consumer, currently at retail stores, imported cheeses range from approximately $15-$30, but if the tariff is put into place this means the range will increase to approximately $25-$50. That means sprinkling on some Parmigiano-Reggiano onto your favorite Sunday sauce is now going to cost you double.
This price escalation will simply make these imported European cheeses inaccessible to the general consumer. Retailers will no longer be able to carry them since they won’t sell and sadly that could mean these delicious cheeses will vanish from the US market – that’s $1.5 Billion in annual sales gone.
“We understand the impact that regulatory issues can have on businesses on a national level,” said Joseph Gellert, president and owner of World’s Best Cheeses. “This decision will have a ripple effect throughout the industry and we felt it was our duty to not only educate consumers about the proposed tariffs but combat them. The ‘Save The Cheese’ campaign and ImportCheeseLovers.com were created to aide our retail partners in conversations with their elected officials and for consumers to voice their support.”
The US proposed tariffs are in response to the European Union’s subsidies within the airplane industry. The food industry, including cheese, is being caught in the crossfire. Final judgment on the tariffs are scheduled to be delivered in mid-October.
Cheese lovers can take action by visiting ImportCheeseLovers.com and signing the petition to inform lawmakers that their love and choice of cheese should not be impacted by airline rivalries.
For more information, please visit http://importcheeselovers.com
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