The European Union
policy of Geographical indications ( PDO-protected designation of origin,
PGI-Protected geographical indication and, TSG-Traditional specialty guaranteed
) implemented during the years 90, for sure it’s on this direction. Consumers
rightly want to know the food origin !
Vincenzo
Bozzetti
Technical director of
the Italian dairy magazine IL LATTE
Da: Newsletter on
production and trade development in the dairy sector
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] Per conto di
FAO-Dairy-Outlook
Inviato: martedì 28 agosto 2012
15:09
A: [log in to unmask]
Oggetto: Cheese:
it's not the milk, it's the packaging .... country of
origin

Sainsbury's is looking out
for its dairy suppliers Photo: GETTY
7:00AM BST 04 Aug
2012
The supermarket admitted that most of its Everyday Value
Cheddar is cheese sourced in Ireland.
But the packet only shows a UK stamp because it was packaged in
Great Britain.
In contrast other brands like Pilgrim’s Choice, that is also
largely cheese from Ireland or other countries, has the country of origin made
clear in the small print.
Campaigners say Tesco are breaking that promise and letting
down dairy farmers in the UK who risk being driven out of the market by imported
cheese.
Latest statistics show the UK is imported 435,000 tonnes of
cheese in 2010, almost double the amount brought into the country in 2000.
Farmers blame cheap imports from abroad, which is also driving
UK dairy farmers out of business.
The number of dairy farmers in the UK has gone down from 34,570
in 1996 to 14,500 today, largely because of falling milk prices.
Nick Everington of the Royal Association of British Dairy
Farmers said consumers want to help by buying British milk - but they can’t do
that if cheese is incorrectly labelled.
“It is misleading from the point of view that the only label
says UK so people passionate about buying from our farmers might pick it up
thinking it is British but its not.”
The Countryside Alliance also said it was unfair on consumers.
“At a time of increasing consumer awareness on the plight of
British Dairy farmers it is wrong of Tesco to sell cheese produced in Ireland as
UK produce.”
Caroline Spelman, the Environment Secretary, said boosting
cheese production in the UK is one of the key ways to save British farming.
“Milk represents just half the dairy products we consume in the
UK. Of the rest — things like cheese, butter and yoghurt — the UK imports half
because our processors aren’t making them. After Ireland, the UK has the best
climate for growing grass in Europe, so we should be producing these added-value
products ourselves," she said.
A Tesco spokesperson insisted most of the Tesco own-brand
cheese is British.
"While the majority of our Everyday Value cheese is made using
Irish milk, all of our Tesco own brand cheese is produced using 100 per cent
British milk."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/farming/9447521/Where-is-your-cheese-from.html