Major cheese-producing nations challenge EU’s decision on Havarti
The EU is granting Denmark sole ownership of the name ‘havarti’ cheese in Europe.
The Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN), Arlington, Va., said major dairy-producing organizations around the world are challenging the European Union's (EU) decision to disregard market realities and international trade standards by granting Denmark sole ownership of the generic name "havarti" cheese in Europe.
With the EU's publication of the decision on Oct. 23, "havarti" will be granted a geographical indication (GI) even though the name " does not refer to any geographic region in Denmark, and most havarti cheese is produced outside of Denmark — including by Danish company Arla Foods in the United States. The move blocks any producer outside of Denmark from selling cheese by that name within the EU and will add "havarti" to the list of popular food names such as Parmesan, feta and chorizo that the EU is attempting to monopolize in global trade, CCFN said.