Geographic Indicators
Want a glass of Gallo Chablis with your sandwich made with Oscar Meyer bologna and Kraft Parmasan Cheese? Under the EU proposal, all three products are EU specific terms that would have to be renamed. Not only does the EU proposal restrict langauge specific terms (such as Mortadella Bologna, the Italian name for the meat product made famous in that city) but also translations. The EU has also signalled that they will not settle for labels that use the terms "type", "style" or "kind" either. They want exclusive use of the Geographical Indicators. The list also includes terms such as Port, Sherry, Burgundy, Feta, and Mozzarella, which are generic terms in this country, referring to the style rather than to the origin of the product. Nobody is under the illusion that Inglenook Chablis is imported from the Chablis region of France, or that Feta cheese from Wisconsin is really from Greece. EU. At the same time that they are attempting to reclaim genericized terms, they are refusing to protect the few geographical indicators used by the United States; "Washington Apples", "Florida Oranges", and "Idaho Potatoes" have no legal protection in the EU, and any producer can use the terms with impunity. The EU has stated that they will not provide protection over these names until the US provides GI recognition to the more than 600 GI's currently recognized by the EU. (This goes far beyond the 41 the EU is trying to force on the rest of the world through the WTO.)
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