Legal Battle Over “Gruyere”

Switzerland-registered association – Interprofession du Gruyère was trying to stop US companies from using the term “gruyere”, prompting few other solutions, but US cheesemakers won legal action over the usage. Their main argument was the fact that Gruyere is not only produced in a city after its name but also in France. The same situation concern parmesan and feta. Executive Director of Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN) said that this is clearly double standards and hypocrisy of the European Commission.

A study conducted by CCFN showed that Europe’s exclusivity for such names as feta, parmesan, or gorgonzola could possibly reduce US cheese consumption by 21% in the next decade. That would turn out as $59 billion of cumulative loss for US dairy farmers.