Source: PRESS RELEASE, 7/31/20
 
Editor's Note:  US Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) signed the letter.

A bipartisan letter asks the U.S. government to enhance protection of common food names as a core policy objective in all trade-related discussions.

In February 2015, Tom Vilsack, then the U.S. Agriculture Secretary, participated in a public forum with his counterpart in Europe, Phil Hogan, then the EU Commissioner of Agricultural and Rural Development.

Turning to Hogan, Vilsack said he was still "waiting to see on a map where feta is."

Five years have passed and feta still isn't on a map.

The EU, however, has only increased its misuse of protections meant for valid geographical indications (GIs). This threatens American exports of not only feta but other generic food and wine terms, including parmesan, bologna and chateau.

USTR and USDA get bipartisan request

On Thursday, 61 U.S. senators sent U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue a letter urging stronger international safeguards to protect U.S. exporters using common food and wine terms. 

The letter requests that the U.S. government enhance their common food name protections as a core policy objective in all trade-related discussions.

In a news release, the U.S. Dairy Export Council joined a diverse range of farm and agricultural industries praising the effort.  

"By putting protections for common food and wine terms first, we will ensure that American-made products do not come in last,” said Tom Vilsack, who is now the President and CEO of USDEC.

Background: Billions of dollars at stake

The EU argues "Geographical Indications" gives it exclusive use of food and wine terms – like feta, bologna and chateau – used on thousands of American-made products to accurately guide consumers.

If the EU secures exclusive use of feta, parmesan, gorgonzola, asiago and other common cheese names, it could reduce U.S. cheese consumption 21% over 10 years and cost U.S. dairy farmers a cumulative $59 billion, according to a study (download summary) commissioned by the Consortium for Common Food Names.