The trouble with PDO

On the face of it, Protected Designation of Origin, or PDO in its acronym, should be an unmitigated blessing for dairy processors. Handworking craftsmen are rewarded for their time and effort with a European and more latterly, worldwide designation that shows consumers the product has been made with care in the region, using local raw materials and techniques passed down through the generations.

However, as the late great American comedienne Gilda Radner said, it’s always something. A recent news item has shown that products made in Italy aren’t always what they seem (page 7) and confusingly, Stilton blue cheese cannot actually be made in the town of Stilton and still have a PDO, much to the chagrin of the townfolk there. Feta cheese is a recent PDO cheese, yet a large portion of that type of cheese is made outside of Greece and probably more is sold as Greek style white cheese or “Fine Fettle” as one British producer branded its very palatable white cheese, than the PDO branded item.

That being said, PDO offers producers a key marketing push and is in general a good thing. In some ways, it behoves us all to back it, as its benefits for cheese makers in particular can’t be denied. When such incidents as the Romanians flooding the Italian market with imposters are seen, it is worthwhile to pursue the culprits. Despite the confusion of not including Stilton in the PDO, it should be upheld as it stands (particularly as Stilton hadn’t been made in the town for years before this recent development). The Feta cheese PDO may not be perfect, but it makes Greek producers happy. It is incumbent on the dairy industry to protect and support PDO, as it helps more than it hinders, in my opinion.

If PDO loses its cachet, then a lot more will be lost than just the designation. We consumers are a trusting bunch and knocking the legs out from under it will just add uncertainty to our shopping lives.