Swiss win Gruyère cheese war

FRANCE has lost a battle over the right to the name “gruyère”.

The cheese, which has holes in France but none in Switzerland, has had the French AOC quality mark since 2007, but France asked for the EU version, the AOP.

The Swiss retaliated by following suit.

The EU found for the Swiss, giving France the less prestigious Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP).

They said the French cheese did not have a strong link to a territory. While the Swiss cheese is made in the Gruyère district of Fribourg, the French version is made in various locations along the Swiss border.

The EU is expected to rule that any cheese without a label cannot be called gruyère, so French producers accept the IGP will have to do.