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During the 15th Century, the makers of Roquefort cheese suspected that they may have a cheese on their hands that was worth protecting. Their lobbying resulted in a parliamentary decree regulating the production thereof. This decree was the forerunner for the Law of Protection of the Place of Origin, which was passed on the 6th of May 1919, specifying the region and commune where a given product should be manufactured.
In 1925, Roquefort was the first cheese to be awarded an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) label. Since then, more than 40 French cheeses have been assigned this status. In 1925, the first international agreement on cheese names was signed between Austria, Denmark, France, Italy Norway, Sweden and Switzerland at the Stresa Convention.
The most recent example of the importance of product protection was in October 2005, when the European Court granted Greece’s application that Feta is “the fruit of ancestral tradition of the extensive pasture and transhumance” and that “the specific flora” of “certain areas of Greece” confers “a savour and a particular flavour to it”. This was despite the fact that 90% of European Feta was made outside of Greece. These countries were given until October 2007 to eliminate the word “Feta” from their products, though none of this applied to Feta produced outside Europe.
Different countries use different descriptive words to refer to the protection system for agricultural products such as appellation, denomination, origin or area. They all endeavour, however, to protect quality conscious manufacturers, their products and areas from producers who want to take advantage of the better-known products. Controlled-origin products guarantee the following product criteria:
• Consistently produced in the traditional manner
• Ingredients from a designated geographical area
• Characteristics that conform to clearly-defined standards
• Strictly regulated production
The question is being posed if the time has not arrived for South African cheese makers to understand the importance of a Cheese of Designation programme to protect themselves, their consumers and their quality. The two most important factors in making exceptional cheese are raw materials and the human hand. Cheese made from the milk of a specific milk breed has intrinsic values not obtainable from other milks and, coupled with a specific manufacturing method, makes for a unique cheese. Although milk quality and composition play an enormous part in cheese making, it is ultimately the individual method of the cheese maker that shapes the cheese and its flavour profile. It therefore makes sense to protect his/her knowledge and intellectual capital though a designation programme.
Quality is a complex and evolving notion when it comes to cheese, as it covers many aspects, among them food safety, taste and gastronomy, as well as trust between suppliers and customers. Economic and social dynamics are bringing changes in these aspects, especially in developing countries such as South Africa. Quality is becoming a key element of business strategy and a deciding factor in consumer choices. Registered designations of origin cheeses, with distinctive labels, denote high-quality products and are bound to draw the attention of discerning consumers. Genuine products, such as those covered by the Designation of Origin, exemplify aspects of local culture, history and production methods and the respect of local traditions. It is an expression of their diversity and part of the regional and distinctive heritage.
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