Cheese-Makers Track Their Parmesans By Embedding Edible, Blockchain-Enabled Microchips (msn.com) 187
"Italian producers of parmesan cheese have been fighting against imitations for years," writes the Wall Street Journal, adding "Their latest trick to beat counterfeiters is edible microchips.
"Now, makers of Parmigiano-Reggiano, as the original parmesan cheese is officially called, are slapping the microchips on their 90-pound cheese wheels as part of an endless cat-and-mouse game between makers of authentic and fake products." New methods to guarantee the origin of products are being used across the EU. Some wineries are putting serial numbers, invisible ink and holograms on their bottles. So-called DNA fingerprinting of milk bacteria pioneered in Switzerland, which isn't in the EU, is now being tested inside the bloc as a method for identifying cheese. QR codes are also proliferating, including on individual portions of pre-sliced Prosciutto di San Daniele, a raw ham similar to Prosciutto di Parma. A smartphone can be used to show information such as how long the prosciutto has been aged and when it was sliced... The new silicon chips, made by Chicago-based p-Chip, use blockchain technology to authenticate data that can trace the cheese as far back as the producer of the milk used.
The chips have been in advanced testing on more than 100,000 Parmigiano wheels for more than a year. The consortium of producers wants to be sure the chips can stand up to Parmigiano's aging requirement, which is a minimum of one year and can exceed three years for some varieties... The p-Chips can withstand extreme heat or cold, can be read through ice and can withstand years of storage in liquid nitrogen. They have outperformed RFID chips, which are larger, can be more difficult to attach to products, are more fragile and can't survive extreme temperatures, according to p-Chip Chief Technology Officer Bill Eibon. Parmigiano producers also use QR codes, but the codes are easily copied and degrade during the cheese's aging process.
A robot heats the Parmigiano wheel's casein label — a small plaque made of milk protein that is widely used in the cheese industry — and then inserts the chip on top. A hand-held reader can grab the data from the chips, which cost a few cents each and are similar to the ones that some people have inserted under the skin of their pets. The chips can't be read remotely. In lab tests, the chips sat for three weeks in a mock-up of stomach acid without leaking any dangerous material. Eibon went a step further, eating one without suffering any ill effects, but he isn't touting that lest p-Chip face accusations it is tracking people, something that isn't possible because the chips can't be read remotely and can't be read once they are ingested.
"We don't want to be known as the company accused of tracking people," said Eibon. "I ate one of the chips and nobody is tracking me, except my wife, and she uses a different method."
Merck KGaA will soon be using the same chips, the article points out, and the chips "are also being tested in the automotive industry to guarantee the authenticity of car parts.
"The chips could eventually be used on livestock, crops or medicine stored in liquid nitrogen."
"Now, makers of Parmigiano-Reggiano, as the original parmesan cheese is officially called, are slapping the microchips on their 90-pound cheese wheels as part of an endless cat-and-mouse game between makers of authentic and fake products." New methods to guarantee the origin of products are being used across the EU. Some wineries are putting serial numbers, invisible ink and holograms on their bottles. So-called DNA fingerprinting of milk bacteria pioneered in Switzerland, which isn't in the EU, is now being tested inside the bloc as a method for identifying cheese. QR codes are also proliferating, including on individual portions of pre-sliced Prosciutto di San Daniele, a raw ham similar to Prosciutto di Parma. A smartphone can be used to show information such as how long the prosciutto has been aged and when it was sliced... The new silicon chips, made by Chicago-based p-Chip, use blockchain technology to authenticate data that can trace the cheese as far back as the producer of the milk used.
The chips have been in advanced testing on more than 100,000 Parmigiano wheels for more than a year. The consortium of producers wants to be sure the chips can stand up to Parmigiano's aging requirement, which is a minimum of one year and can exceed three years for some varieties... The p-Chips can withstand extreme heat or cold, can be read through ice and can withstand years of storage in liquid nitrogen. They have outperformed RFID chips, which are larger, can be more difficult to attach to products, are more fragile and can't survive extreme temperatures, according to p-Chip Chief Technology Officer Bill Eibon. Parmigiano producers also use QR codes, but the codes are easily copied and degrade during the cheese's aging process.
A robot heats the Parmigiano wheel's casein label — a small plaque made of milk protein that is widely used in the cheese industry — and then inserts the chip on top. A hand-held reader can grab the data from the chips, which cost a few cents each and are similar to the ones that some people have inserted under the skin of their pets. The chips can't be read remotely. In lab tests, the chips sat for three weeks in a mock-up of stomach acid without leaking any dangerous material. Eibon went a step further, eating one without suffering any ill effects, but he isn't touting that lest p-Chip face accusations it is tracking people, something that isn't possible because the chips can't be read remotely and can't be read once they are ingested.
"We don't want to be known as the company accused of tracking people," said Eibon. "I ate one of the chips and nobody is tracking me, except my wife, and she uses a different method."
Merck KGaA will soon be using the same chips, the article points out, and the chips "are also being tested in the automotive industry to guarantee the authenticity of car parts.
"The chips could eventually be used on livestock, crops or medicine stored in liquid nitrogen."
Just Wait (Score:3, Funny)
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... until the MAGA crowd gets a hold of this one.
They won't be concerned - their idea of a fancy cheese is Cheese Whiz.
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They won't be concerned - their idea of a fancy cheese is Cheese Whiz.
Can we tell them there's microchips in that?
Please.
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I understand that - the joke is they'd never be ingesting this anyway, chip or no chip.
The first iteration involved "they won't eat anything but American cheese", but I thought Cheese Whiz worked better.
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Dude. Please. Cheez Whiz isn't even cheese. It's modified fat in a jar. I don't care if your cheese is imported or domestic, as long as it's cheese.
I have a hard time qualifying this even as food.
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"Best Bourbon" isn't saying much.
Re:Just Wait (Score:4, Interesting)
To be fair America doesn't give a shit about European PDO regulation. Its why any idiot can piss in milk and call it Cheddar over there (despite not coming from Cheddar), why someone's carbonated antifreeze can be labelled as Champagne, or why your Parmesan doesn't come from either Parma or Reggio Emilia. And that's before we talk about how you can pretend to call something Wagyu beef even if it wasn't bread from two Wagyu cows.
The food industry in America is like the electronics industry in China, mostly just rip-offs trying to cash in on the name of an objectively higher quality product from somewhere else.
Re:Just Wait (Score:5, Insightful)
. Its why any idiot can piss in milk and call it Cheddar over there (despite not coming from Cheddar),
Ironically enough, actually no, they can't. Now yes, here it is a style of cheese rather than an origin, our controls on it are actually extremely stringent.
You can expect any "Cheddar" cheese in the USA to taste and feel like cheddar cheese, any "swiss" to have holes and taste like swiss, for any "Parmesan" to be so hard it crumbles, and yes, taste like Parmesan. While still most likely being made in Vermont or California.
As for being a higher quality product - that can vary. For example, California champagnes regularly beat Champagne champagne in various tests. It depends on the brand, of course.
I'll agree that Kraft grated parmesan isn't as good as the imported version, but I can buy domestic versions that are just as good as import - I just have to avoid Kraft.
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To be fair America doesn't give a shit about European PDO regulation. Its why any idiot can piss in milk and call it Cheddar over there (despite not coming from Cheddar)
Of course the same thing is happening in the UK. Up until recently cheddar cheese hadnt been made anywhere in Cheddar for at least decades https://www.bbc.com/travel/art... [bbc.com] . There is a small producer that makes it there now but odds are that the cheddar 99% of Brits eat isnt from its namesake location nor does it possess any form of meaningfully superior qualities to cheddars made elsewhere.
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Yes but they are spread across 50 different lists, because each state has a separate register of businesses. Personally I recommend buying from literally anywhere to get the desired effect.
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Oh I just need 1 link for American pisscheese and 1 link for antifreeze champagne for my party.
Thanks!
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As if the mouth breathers could afford Italian parmesan.
If anything, that conspiracy will get flipped upside down, because now only "the elites" get microchips.
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Browsing my local store online,
Crappy grated cheese: 34.3 cents/ounce (not converting to metric because I'm lazy)(what my dad prefers)
Crappy Kraft grated: 51.8
Frigo Shredded parmesan cheese: 53.8 - what I'll use in recipes, and on my food rather than the above when available. Apparently made in California. Refridgerated. Might/should actually be forced to remove the italian flag shield logo from their cheese.
Kraft Finely shredded: 83 - not noticeably different than the above. Also refrigerated. Not th
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Pre-grated cheese? In other words, cheese that they cut away the mold from, then shredded it so you don't notice... could we please compare cheese actually fit for human consumption?
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And then ... what? I mean, assuming that it works in the first place.
So the blockchain helps because buzz word? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:So the blockchain helps because buzz word? (Score:5, Interesting)
If they sold it today, it would use AI.
Sadly, I understand blockchain well enough to recognize the math is sound (on some). I would even testify in court in favor of the validity of certain blockchain transactions. But, I would condemn anyone who used blockchain as foolishly as this.
And, yes a centralized database would work, but so would a certificate.
Oh, from what I read, I would testify against the math in this product. Their chips are too easily cloned and lack validity for authenticity.
Re: So the blockchain helps because buzz word? (Score:2)
"Their chips are too easily cloned and lack validity for authenticity."
You make me think of a bad scenario coming from this. Cloned chips are made that are not at all bio-safe and get used. You can't see the chip when you read it so close enough is good enough. They are not about to cut into each wheel to physically inspect the chip.
Then, people ingest the bogus chips and get sick. You go from having simple ripoff products to toxic products.
I also love how they repeatedly say it cannot be remotely rea
Re:So the blockchain helps because buzz word? (Score:5, Insightful)
Yep. Its yet another use case that can be done better and cheaper with just public key cryptography. Cheese maker publishes their public key. User can verify that wheel's unique hash can be decoded with that key.
15 years in, and still nobody has found a usecase for blockchains that isn't done better with older and cheaper technology. https://hackernoon.com/ten-yea... [hackernoon.com]
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That is so not true. For buying illegal weapons, drugs, child porn, and slaves plus money laundering, extortion, and funding terrorism, not a god damn thing beats blockchains.
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For buying illegal weapons, drugs, child porn, ...
All that is just one application: cryptocurrency. It still seems to be the only vaguely useful thing that has ever been done with blockchain, that could not be done more easily.
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It still seems to be the only vaguely useful thing that has ever been done with blockchain, that could not be done more easily.
Really? I think running an illegal enterprise with cash is far more useful than publishing my illegal transactions into a public ledger.
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except anything where transaction details are not public?
The path of every single bitcoin ist traceable from mining to current whereabout. Yes, anonymous, but public. So you still need some effort to cover your tracks.
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Yep. Its yet another use case that can be done better and cheaper with just public key cryptography. Cheese maker publishes their public key. User can verify that wheel's unique hash can be decoded with that key.
Is there even much benefit for public key crypto here, compared to plain old serial numbers?
Crypto stops the forgers from making new serial numbers, but not from copying old ones en masse.
Bribe the truck driver, scan a few hundred cheeses and clone the chips. Its not like they have a crypto processor with hidden private key inside the cheese, just a signed serial number.
(Do I understand this correctly?)
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You wouldn't even need crypto here. Just a database to track serial numbers.
If someone offers you a wheel of parmesan with a serial number of a wheel that has been sold to a Italian restaurant 3 months ago, you can safely assume that it's a copied serial number.
And now it's up to you to decide how much you care about an original serial number.
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Yep. Its yet another use case that can be done better and cheaper with just public key cryptography. Cheese maker publishes their public key. User can verify that wheel's unique hash can be decoded with that key.
All a counterfeiter would need is one copy of a valid hash. The only way this would work is if you derive the hash from the cheese. Not sure how this would even work.
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unique hash can be decoded with that key.
To quote a wise woman: "That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works."
Hashes are not decrypted. To be worth anything, the microchip would need to have its own secure enclave with its own private key, with a certificate signed by the cheesemaker. If the microchip only transmits a constant value and its signature, that constant content could easily be cloned. These chips generally aren't that smart or that secure, which is a (theoretical) reason to use a blockchain instead: if someone wants
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Is a blockchain any better than a central database maintained by the Consorzio Parmigiano Reggiano?
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The blockchain adds tremendous value to the company selling the chips.
Other Uses (Score:2)
(from the summary)
"The chips could eventually be used on livestock, crops or medicine stored in liquid nitrogen."
This sentence is highly suspect. I doubt many livestock owners store their livestock in liquid nitrogen (or crops, for that matter).
Blessed are the cheese-makers (Score:5, Funny)
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May they cheese-us.
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Cows?
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I'm Brian, and so is my wife!
Why we don't have this problem... (Score:3, Interesting)
Why North American doesn't have this problem? We don't have the dumb protected designation of origin laws that can, years, decades, and even centuries after something goes into common usage, turn that word into a trademark.
I could really care less that Cheddar was once a region that produced a particular type of cheese. It long since entered the vernacular as a type of cheese. Now cheese makers are getting incentives to take the region of Cheddar, which had long since been abandoned by cheese makers, and start up there again because they get a new lease on a trademark. So new cheese makers who have no connection at all to the old ones that invented the type of cheese can now move in there, and label their product as the only Cheddar cheese in the EU.
It's fantastically stupid. Get a trademark like everyone else. If you can't do that, because it's long since become genericized, then pick a new name.
Luckily lawmakers here haven't caved to the lunacy. And looking at the quagmire of lawsuits, finger pointing, complaints, and whining that PDO has caused over there, it sounds like citizens of the EU should stand up to the business self-interest groups and demand an end to those laws there too.
If you want your Parmigiano-Reggiano to sell, how about making a name for your company by making great cheese?
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We don't have the dumb protected designation of origin laws
That's because American produced food is shit and not worth protecting. You may like your chlorinated chicken, but some people like the taste of real food.
I could really care less that Cheddar
So you do care.
Re:Why we don't have this problem... (Score:4, Insightful)
That's because American produced food is shit and not worth protecting
Fine, but then if European & UK food is so good, then why can't it stand on its own brand reputation?
There is already a way to specify where something is made. It's called "Made in _______" labels. If being made somewhere is relevant, then those labels are good enough. If a food is good enough that its brand is relevant, people will buy it. Artificially stepping in to "protect" it further just opens the door to shit companies that trade on their location in order to get access to a name.
By the time you realize you are shooting yourself in the foot, you will have ruined a bunch of good region names and food types over there. Meanwhile on this side of the pond, only the best cheddar cheese will rise to the top and get recognition. And places like Alberta and Nova Scotia are known for their great cheddars not because they got the place name protected, but because they actually make great cheese.
Re:Why we don't have this problem... (Score:5, Insightful)
Fine, but then if European & UK food is so good, then why can't it stand on its own brand reputation?
How does that stop COUNTERFEITS? You don't seem to understand the problem. Its brand reputation is the REASON why it's lucrative to make COUNTERFEITS.
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Actually brand recognition still works, only in this case it's the brand of the retailer that matters.
If I'm paying a premium for "Le Cheesits" from my local deli and it tastes worse than the same product from another deli then I switch stores. If it's counterfeit and tastes the same that tells me the manufacturer doesn't make anything special. Either way I have options as a consumer and looking up brand codes doesn't really help me either way.
This is more about redirecting public resources to the "cheese p
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Hmm... On this note, it reminds me of my dad and Olive oil. My dad has health issues, and is trying to address them via dietary changes. Having seen what trying to address them by drugs did, I'm actually all for it, though I regularly preach moderation. After all, I'm the one cooking for my parents at this point, and it can get complicated. At times I need to cook 2+ meals to cover everybody - and I'm not a professional chef in a professional kitchen to do it.
Back on Olive oil - Apparently fraud is [camillestyles.com] HUG [sciencedirect.com]
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In an age where we have more access to information than ever, counterfeiting is easier than ever. This makes it difficult to establish and maintain a "reputation" for good product. The European solution this problem is country-of-origin laws for certain categories of product. But even then, if 1000 glass bottles with a "Champagne" label is worth $30,000, then some counterfeiter is going to figure out how to add the labels of a fake winery. So there is an ever increasing labelling race in Europe to try a
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I'd be tempted to order a whole load of cheap "16TB" drives and then return them. Amazon makes returns really easy, and free. Well, it costs a little bit of my time, but I could do them all together so it's not too bad.
What stops me is that I've heard of people having their address blacklisted if they return too much stuff. No idea what the threshold is because I do return a fair bit of stuff, but the whole address is hit. Other people living there can't order either.
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Well, no one keeps you from making a better ham than anyone in the Black forest. You just can't claim it's made there. (The "Made in _____" labels only go down to country level). Also, PDO covers traditional production methods.
And as you said, if you are making a good product anywhere, it can stand on its own. Black Forrest Ham, Iberico Ham, Parma Ham all do exactly that.
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then why can't it stand on its own brand reputation?
It does. This is literally what the PDO is about. Protecting the reputation from counterfeiters.
It's called "Made in _______" labels.
Something that counterfeiters know precisely zero people except maybe one idiot on Slashdot ever looks at.
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Something that counterfeiters know precisely zero people except maybe one idiot on Slashdot ever looks at.
It happens more than you think, especially with non-slashdotters. My dad, for example.
Anyways though. If a counterfeiter is counterfeiting and knows that "made in X" makes the product more valuable, they're going to counterfeit it as well. That's the problem with counterfeit products.
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Fine, but then if European & UK food is so good, then why can't it stand on its own brand reputation?
The point is to protect the reputation. If say Champaign wine or Cornish pasties have a particular reputation, but anyone can label their cheap fizzy plonk and soggy pastry with the names of those places then their reputations will be harmed.
It works completely fine here, and manufacturers seem to like it for the most part. One of the many losses from brexit was the loss of origin naming rights.
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You can call it Champaign if you made it in the Champaign region. If not, you can call it sparkling wine or whatever you like, as long as it's not Champaign.
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Kernel Sanders loves him some PVC.
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They are referring to the fact that American chicken is washed in chlorine for safety reasons. The conditions in which the chickens live are so poor that they end up diseased, and need to be washed off in chlorine before human consumption.
In the EU (and the UK for now), welfare standards for chickens are much higher, and so washing in chlorine is not required. Allowable levels of faecal matter for meats are lower too.
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I thought Buffalo Chicken had to be chlorinated in Buffalo
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>If you want your Parmigiano-Reggiano to sell, how about making a name for your company by making great cheese?
You got it upside down. The problem isn't that it doesn't sell. The problem is that it sells so well, there are people counterfeiting it and selling their cheap shit as a real thing.
Fake food is a very real problem across the world, at least in places where food is both good and valuable. You have it in everything from fake top tier wines and cheeses in Europe to gutter oil in China.
Re: Why we don't have this problem... (Score:3)
We have lots of that stuff. First that comes to mind is bourbon.
and Vidalia Onions (Score:2)
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Re: Why we don't have this problem... (Score:2)
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Ah yes. You will enjoy my line of "Made in America" products. You can enjoy them while sipping some "Tennessee Whiskey" or "Kentucky Bourbon." Or any bourbon whiskey you prefer.
Re:Why we don't have this problem... (Score:5, Informative)
Why North American doesn't have this problem? We don't have the dumb protected designation of origin laws that can, years, decades, and even centuries after something goes into common usage, turn that word into a trademark.
Actually, we do have that same issue in the U.S.
Bourbon is a type of barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn. Bourbon was recognized in 1964 by the U.S. Congress as a "distinctive product of the United States". Bourbon sold in the U.S. must be produced in the country from at least 51% corn and stored in a new container of charred oak.
Bourbon's legal definition varies somewhat from country to country, but many trade agreements require that the name "bourbon" be reserved for products made in the U.S. The U.S. regulations for labeling and advertising bourbon apply only to products made for consumption within the U.S.; they do not apply to distilled spirits made for export. Canadian law requires products labeled bourbon to be made in the U.S. and also to conform to the requirements that apply within the U.S. The European Union also requires bourbon to be made in the U.S. following the law of the country. But in other countries, products labeled bourbon may not adhere to the same standards. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Re:Why we don't have this problem... (Score:5, Interesting)
Now cheese makers are getting incentives to take the region of Cheddar, which had long since been abandoned by cheese makers, and start up there again because they get a new lease on a trademark ... and label their product as the only Cheddar cheese in the EU.
Wikipedia directly contradicts you:
Cheddar cheese has no protected designation of origin either in the United Kingdom or the European Union.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Also, there is no "region of Cheddar". Cheddar is a small village of 5,000 people.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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The PDO protected term is "West Country Farmhouse Cheddar". But the point still stands, as there are similar proctected terms that sound like they might be generic. For example: Champagne, Roquefort, Feta, Parmesan, Port, Rooibos & Stilton.
Stilton is a good one, as Stilton must be made in Derbyshire, Leicestershire or Nottinghamshire to be called Stilton, but the village of Stilton is in Cambridgeshire, so Stilton cannot be made in Stilton and still be called Stilton.
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The PDO protected term is "West Country Farmhouse Cheddar". But the point still stands
That cheese probably represents about 0.01% of all cheddar sold. I have never seen it for sale. It's hardly some sort of historic cheese.
Yes, Stilton is protected as you describe. But so what? As per the trade agreement between the US and the EU, anything labeled "bourbon" must be made in the US, but nobody seems to be objecting to that rule. Trademarks don't work in every scenario.
A concurrent resolution adopted by the United States Congress in 1964 declared bourbon to be a "distinctive product of the United States" and asked "the appropriate agencies of the United States Government ... [to] take appropriate action to prohibit importation into the United States of whiskey designated as 'Bourbon Whiskey'.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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Now cheese makers are getting incentives to take the region of Cheddar, which had long since been abandoned by cheese makers, and start up there again because they get a new lease on a trademark ... and label their product as the only Cheddar cheese in the EU.
Wikipedia directly contradicts you:
Cheddar cheese has no protected designation of origin either in the United Kingdom or the European Union.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Also, there is no "region of Cheddar". Cheddar is a small village of 5,000 people.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
This, the EU or UK will reject PDO's or trademarks that are overly generic. Much like cheese, Americans have trouble recognising decent laws.
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Why North American doesn't have this problem? ? We don't have the dumb protected designation of origin laws
USA HAS ORIGIN PROTECTION LAWS, enforced by US Tax and Trade Bureau, they are used to protect the origin of wine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Get a trademark like everyone else, If you can't do that, because it's long since become genericized.
You're totally missing the point. They DO have a trademark (well an equivalent of it). What they don't have is a way to enforce their trademark against counterfeits.
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Why North American doesn't have this problem? We don't have the dumb protected designation of origin laws that can, years, decades, and even centuries after something goes into common usage, turn that word into a trademark.
Same reason New York fire department is having serious issues with people burning down their houses despite the fact that the number of e-bikes per capita pale in comparison to many European countries without this issue. It's because you're more than happy to buy and eat low grade knock-off garbage. The price is the only thing that matters to many Americans and it has led to a race to the bottom.
PDOs from Europe don't lock away the ability to make a specific product, they protect the authenticity of the ori
Complicating things... (Score:2)
American cheese is actually a thing, and can be a real cheese.
Real sliced cheese:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Kra... [walmart.com]
(pasteurized process american cheese with added calcium)
Note the lack of the word "cheese" anywhere on the label for this:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Kra... [walmart.com]
But they say "MADE WITH REAL DAIRY"
The real term for it isn't "cheese", but "Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product".
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Eas... [walmart.com]
Cheez Wiz goes all the way down to "cheese snack"
Re: Why we don't have this problem... (Score:2)
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if you look it up you will find a case in China (not to be confused with this one https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]) where fake powdered milk (imitating a branded product) turned out to have concrete in it. this was discovered after someone died. the people who were responsible were tracked down, tried and executed (no pissing about: they'd murdered someone). Brands are important, and Trademarks exist as Registered or Unregistered, as a way for people to know that they can "trust" the brand. the case of f
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You don't understand the point of these protections.
This is the biggest hint:
> how about making a name for your company by making great cheese?
The point is that no single company can lock the product. And no one can freeride on a preexisting product name. Any company/producer can come in, and produce it, and get the certification. The protection is to the region where it is produced, and the way it is produced. The thinking being that the entire process is important to the product. Taking cheese: from th
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Did I in any way insinuate "quality" is at stake?
This is not about quality, but about the "true nature" of the product. ie the "how" it was made is at least as important as the "who" (often more) . Also note that various producers of such products still can (and often do) compete between each other for the quality of the regulated product.*
The "how" includes the "where" by way of, for instance, cow race (adaptation to specific location) and the grass and other plants they eat.
For wines its all about the
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"Get a trademark like everyone else. If you can't do that, because it's long since become genericized, then pick a new name."
You can't register a mark on the name of a public geographic feature (though you can possibly register a phrase that includes the name of geographic feature).
Relevant amusing anecdote: Intel uses the names of public geographic features as the internal code names for projects. (it used to be that they further divided that by mapping specific kinds of geographic feature to certain kinds
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You mean, apples raised in the fertile soil and mild climate of the region around Cupertino, CA?
It's actually okay, if they don't sell them bitten.
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Americans don't think cheese whiz is real cheese.
Only the poorest of the poor buy it except in special circumstances. For example, I used it to keep my dog distracted so I could brush her. Worked great on the dog but I sure as hell wasn't eating it.
Anyone buying cheese whiz as real food can't afford a real cheese anyway not even a cheap ass one much less an officially labeled one from some particular place in Europe.
IDTs? (Score:2)
Indigestible Tokens?
Why a microchip? (Score:2)
I would think they could use a chemical marker which would then identify virtually any amount of cheese, not just a wheel. Although I suppose the makers would be reluctant to add anything like that for fear of affecting the flavor.
The US encourages counterfeiting (Score:4, Informative)
One example I know of: In Switzerland, there is a region called GruyÃre, and they make a cheese of the same name. In Europe, regional products like that are protected. The US recently declared that US cheesemakers are allowed to make imitations and sell them under the exact same name.
It's kinda hard to protect your products, when the government is on the side of the counterfeiters.
Re:The US encourages counterfeiting (Score:5, Funny)
In Switzerland, there is a region called GruyÃre, and they make a cheese of the same name.
That sound fishy, GruyÃre might be a fake trying to mislead people looking for Gruyère. /s
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The issue is the USPTO says that place names aren't able to be trademarked. It's an incompatibility with the European Protected Designation of Origin law which is a specific trademark on a place name.
The USA isn't actually unique in this. Most countries outside of Europe who don't have a free trade agreement with the EU don't protect trademarks for place names.
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The issue is the USPTO says that place names aren't able to be trademarked.
It's not a trademark, it's what's called a "geographical indicator". The US does have laws that *should* apply, if the government weren't in the pockets of the manufacturers. Simple truth in labeling. If I start selling "Idaho potatoes", but actually import the potatoes from Elbonia, it wouldn't take long to land in trouble.Why is selling Gruyère cheese that is not actually from Gruyère any different?
p.s. FWIW, the EU can go overboard. For example, there are (at least) two places called Champagn
whats to stop.. (Score:2)
someone from buying an authentic wheel of cheese and a fake wheel of cheese
then taking the microchip off the authentic wheel of cheese and putting it on the fake wheel of cheese
then eating the authentic wheel of cheese
and selling on the fake wheel of cheese to someone?
Blessed are the cheesemakers (Score:2)
Blessed are the cheesemakers (or any manufacturers of dairy products).
Since the trackers don't decay (Score:2)
Edible (Score:2)
> Eibon went a step further, eating one without suffering any ill effects
Sample size one, no validation.
"You are fake news."
Priorities (Score:2)
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Genetic sequencing tells you about the milk that was used to make it, but nothing about what you did with the milk after extracting it from the cow.
genetic sequencing (Score:2)
In general it is the bacteria culture used that determines the type of cheese not the milk.
Genetic sequencing of baceteria would allow you to determine the culture used but not the region.
Conspiracy! (Score:2)
Talk about literally feeding the conspiracy theorists.
Fine Milk (Score:2)
From the article - The [PDO cheese] market is worth almost €80 billion annually, equivalent to $87 billion, according to an EU study published in 2020.
Remember this when you hear the phrase, "That aged like fine milk".
The trouble with stuff like this (Score:2)
Also, the only reason to do is branding. The main "problem" this is solving is that it's easy to make the cheese anywhere in the world, and people will do that and sell the cheese, which is functionally identical (if it wasn't we wouldn't be having this conversation, since consumers could tell).
I suppose there is also some concerns about tracki
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There is a Scotch Whiskey Association that regulates the production of Scotch.
The legal rules for Scotch whiskey say that must be stored in a warehouse in Scotland in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700 liters for at least three years. There are more rules.
Swiss cheese is a type of Emmental or Emmentaler cheese, which originally came from Emmental in Switzerland. I think Switzerland requires Emmentaler to be made in Emm
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Yes, whisky is made in Scotland; whiskey is made in other countries.
Some people think it is an American/British English spelling thing, but it isn't. It is Irish Whiskey for example.
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Well French Fries mostly come from Belgium. But yes, Swizz Cheese does need to come from Switzerland, and Scotch Whisky does need to come from Scotland. A similar drink from other countries is called Whiskey.
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What about those tons of leaf gold added to food or cocktails to create their "world's most expensive steak" for social media and c-list celebrities?
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Hey! That way when they shit on you, you at least get something out of it.
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What about it? Gold is sufficiently stable that it doesn't present any problem except massive pretentiousness.
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That's why it is usually classified as "edible".
But then it would fit GPs overbroad definition of edible as stuff that is stable enough that "you'll shit out intact" again..
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And you'll have gourmets squabble endlessly about which flavor is better, while everyone else just wants to eat something.