A CHEESE BY ANY OTHER NAME ...

A cheese by any other name ...

Now here's something you don't see every day - an application to change a term that has been accorded Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status in the European Union under Council Regulation 510/2006. The registered PDO is ‘Queso de Cantabria’ and the Spanish government's Ministry of Agriculture and Protected Cheese Names wants it replaced with ‘Queso Nata de Cantabria’. The story goes like this:

"The application to register the PDO ‘Queso de Cantabria’ was made under Article 17 [of Commission Regulation 1107/96], since it was one of the designations of origin protected under legislation in Spain when Regulation (2081/92 entered into force.

Legal protection had been granted in accordance with the national legislation in force, which excluded the possibility of protecting non-geographical names such as ‘Queso de nata’. For this reason, another of the names by which the cheese was known, ‘Queso de Cantabria’, was filed for.

Over a decade has passed since Community registration was sought and we have found that the designation ‘Queso de Nata’ continues to be used by many consumers, who think it involves a different cheese to the one protected by the PDO ‘Queso de Cantabria’. We therefore consider it appropriate to request that the name be amended by combining both designations. Their use is very extensive, as can be seen from the recent bibliography on Spanish cheeses ...[omitted]".

The IPKat is very happy that this cheese's two names are finally united in a single PDO registration. Merpel notes that this is an amendment that has been prompted by consumer confusion: presumably it will be a good idea for the public to be educated that the two cheeses are but one.

Ministry of Cheese here
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