Why is there no US beef from a region like Kobe?Does US have any Protected Designation of Origin items? EU does, champagne comes to mind

[LuvOrlando]

Why is there no US beef from a region like Kobe?Does US have any Protected Designation of Origin items? EU does, champagne comes to mind. Sure would simplify things for consumers like me as I try to sort out what to buy from where

 

[Lewisc]

Bourbon whiskey must be distilled in the US.

 

[MillauFr]

Wine has designated appellations. You can't post Napa on the label if you make wine from grapes from Lodi.

 

[dizneegirl]

This article is geared toward spirits and distilling, but it's interesting: Geographical Indication (GI) and Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)

I would imagine part of it is that no other place is trying to pass something off as "Wisconsin Cheese/Dairy," "Idaho potatoes," "Napa Valley wines," "Hatch chilies," "Kentucky bourbon..."

I would imagine another part is that we haven't been a country producing "specialty" foods/drinks as long as they have in Europe.

Here's a PDF from the United States Patent and Trademark Office on the subject in the US: Geographical Indication Protection in the United States

 

[kdonnel]

The Vidalia Onion Act of 1986 established 20 counties in Georgia that comprise a grow region that is the only areas where a Vidalia Onion can be grown.

 

[lanejudy]

Vermont has a "Vermont Origin Rule" that dictates when a product label can indicate anything like "product of Vermont" or even "local."

 

[_19disnA]

While it is sometimes interesting to know where a product is made, I think most of these designations are an attempt to make the product seem unique/superior like a clever marketing pitch. Champagne is a good example, where France is trying to corner the market, but clearly many other places around the world make 'sparkling wine' even if technically they can't call it champagne. I have no idea if they can legally restrict the name usage outside of the EU, but not an expert on the subject. I have no idea if the average person can tell the difference.

'Pure cane sugar' is another one where they try to imply their product is somehow superior to the product made from sugar beets. Are they any differences chemically or can anyone tell one from the other?

 

[TiggerTrigger]

As for champagne, it's my understanding that legally, you cannot advertise it as such unless the grapes come specifically from the Champagne region of France. So, it would be false advertising, at the very least, to call it that if the grapes are sourced elsewhere. It's kind of like calling all copy machines a Xerox even if it's not a Xerox brand.

 

[Imzadi]

The EU Protected Designation of Origin items come from regions where the soil and grasses are truly different than other regions. Cheeses made from cows, goats or sheep which grazed on mountainy grasses and fields are truly different than cows, goats or sheep which grazed on low level grasses and fields in flat plains. Plus, the lineage of each herd is protected and MUST come from those very regions, similar to the way purebred dogs have paperwork proving their ancestry.

I've been to cheese tastings, where a fresh 50lb wheel of Parmesan and other smaller cheeses were cut open. There were cheese connoisseurs there, (the equivalent to wine sommeliers, I don't know if they have a particular name,) where their taste buds are so finely tuned, they could tell you the how long the cheeses have been aged and their authenticity. A true PDO cheese is dated and stamped/branded with their place of origin and the date they were made.

Do we even remotely have anything like that in the US in the beef industry?

 

[princesscinderella]

I would think the closest to this is the Angus beef designation.

 

[soccerdad72]

Wait, you mean my NY Strip is not from New York?