Brussels, 06/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 6 February, the European Commission announced that it was adding “Gruyère” to the list of protected geographical indications (PGI). As the cheese has a common Franco-Swiss origin, the appellation “Gruyère” (France) will co-exist with that of “Gruyère” (Switzerland), protected within the European Union as part of the 2011 EU-Switzerland agreement on geographical indications (see EUROPE 10749).
Previously only Swiss “Gruyère” was able to use this designation (a registered designation of origin, AOC). The distinction between the two, other than the place of production, will be made on the presence - or not - of holes, with French “Gruyère” being the only cheese to bear this characteristic.
In order to avoid all confusion between the two designations and to guarantee that consumers are fully informed, additional measures for labelling have been planned. The country of origin - in this case, France - will have to be indicated in the same visual field as the designation “Gruyère”, in characters of the same size. In addition, the use of any flag, emblem, sign or other graphic representation likely to mislead consumers will be forbidden. This designation is added to the list of over 1,100 products that are already protected under legislation on the protection of geographical indications, designations of origin and traditional specialities. (LC/transl.fl)