Parmesan makers add microchips to cheese wheels to foil counterfeiters(tomshardware.com)
tomshardware.com
Parmesan makers add microchips to cheese wheels to foil counterfeiters
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/parmesan-makers-add-microchips-to-cheese-wheels-to-foil-counterfeiters
76 comments
> Presumably a trial run that didn't progress any further in the following 9+ months?
Having been in a similar anti-counterfeiting startup, a few years earlier, which got chips into a larger number of high-end products... It might well have been a pilot project, and those don't get renewed for a variety of reasons.
In our case, Covid disrupted our awesome first customer's industry right after our very successful factory launch. Covid had cascading economic effects to vendors and programs, of course, and Covid also prevented much of the field auditing follow-through we'd planned on.
Other ways this could fail, even without a black swan global pandemic:
* It's enterprise/corporate sales, which is very difficult and energy-intensive. Even having a no-brainer value proposition doesn't mean a yes. It might take several months of stakeholder meetings and tentative commitments to realize the yes isn't actually imminent like it had seemed. We had a few successes (including landing two top brands), but closing deals arguably took at least as much energy and clever ideas as all our software+hardware+logistics engineering and service design did.
* There might've been effort needed on the customer end, which didn't pan out. We minimized these dependencies, by, e.g., installing our own bespoke networked stations in their best factory, and adapting to their current factory order process, to be almost "zero impedence" (e.g., minimize new IT effort, minimize new corporate effort, minimize ways that dependencies can make mistakes). What a customer is willing and able to do varies from customer to customer (due to, e.g., what their processes and systems are, the nature of the product and how it's made and distributed and sold, various stakeholder motivations, etc.) so you have to tailor it. We thought hard and did a great "prescient" first pass at this for our pilot customer, preventing all sorts of things that could've/would've gone wrong, and still had to respond nimbly to many things we learned in the process.
* You want to show business value from the pilot project, which means stopping some counterfeiting sales effort, or unmasking some gray market diversion. And probably being able to attach a dollar value to that, and/or least show defending goodwill/reputation of the brand (e.g., reduce negative reviews due to people receiving lower-quality counterfeits). This probably means field investigation, since you probably can't arrange for the end customer or intermediaries to do it (merely having the chip and some tracking data alone probably won't do it), which is tricky... but is when you actually get the payoff for all that effort.
Having been in a similar anti-counterfeiting startup, a few years earlier, which got chips into a larger number of high-end products... It might well have been a pilot project, and those don't get renewed for a variety of reasons.
In our case, Covid disrupted our awesome first customer's industry right after our very successful factory launch. Covid had cascading economic effects to vendors and programs, of course, and Covid also prevented much of the field auditing follow-through we'd planned on.
Other ways this could fail, even without a black swan global pandemic:
* It's enterprise/corporate sales, which is very difficult and energy-intensive. Even having a no-brainer value proposition doesn't mean a yes. It might take several months of stakeholder meetings and tentative commitments to realize the yes isn't actually imminent like it had seemed. We had a few successes (including landing two top brands), but closing deals arguably took at least as much energy and clever ideas as all our software+hardware+logistics engineering and service design did.
* There might've been effort needed on the customer end, which didn't pan out. We minimized these dependencies, by, e.g., installing our own bespoke networked stations in their best factory, and adapting to their current factory order process, to be almost "zero impedence" (e.g., minimize new IT effort, minimize new corporate effort, minimize ways that dependencies can make mistakes). What a customer is willing and able to do varies from customer to customer (due to, e.g., what their processes and systems are, the nature of the product and how it's made and distributed and sold, various stakeholder motivations, etc.) so you have to tailor it. We thought hard and did a great "prescient" first pass at this for our pilot customer, preventing all sorts of things that could've/would've gone wrong, and still had to respond nimbly to many things we learned in the process.
* You want to show business value from the pilot project, which means stopping some counterfeiting sales effort, or unmasking some gray market diversion. And probably being able to attach a dollar value to that, and/or least show defending goodwill/reputation of the brand (e.g., reduce negative reviews due to people receiving lower-quality counterfeits). This probably means field investigation, since you probably can't arrange for the end customer or intermediaries to do it (merely having the chip and some tracking data alone probably won't do it), which is tricky... but is when you actually get the payoff for all that effort.
Yeah that's fair. You can't necessarily draw conclusions from the fact that it hasn't outwardly progressed beyond a pilot.
But my point is more that the "news hook" on this story is so weak. Announcing the pilot launch of an interesting new product is news. Announcing a pilot launch that already concluded (?) months ago, less so. How did it go? What does the cheesemaker think? Honestly if I were covering this story I'd want to confirm that the product even really exists.
But my point is more that the "news hook" on this story is so weak. Announcing the pilot launch of an interesting new product is news. Announcing a pilot launch that already concluded (?) months ago, less so. How did it go? What does the cheesemaker think? Honestly if I were covering this story I'd want to confirm that the product even really exists.
Yeah, I don't know why more wasn't said here about impact thus far.
Looks like the p-Chip company did an impressive "road show" of major news outlets in August.
I'd guess for promoting to customers or investors (and they'd have to coordinate with the customer brand, and maybe also they were being discreet about the measures to make the first catches easier).
So I'd guess that the outlets are writing because the company is putting itself out there, and the story does interest. (Ordinary people are noticing counterfeits on Amazon and such, and I'd guess the idea of marrying high-tech with something as old-world charm as Italian cheese wheels has some clicky light news appeal.)
Since we're on HN, from a startup's perspective... we should hope that someday we could swing favorable coverage from top news outlets, and limit hardball interrogations to private dialogue with investors and prospects. :)
Looks like the p-Chip company did an impressive "road show" of major news outlets in August.
I'd guess for promoting to customers or investors (and they'd have to coordinate with the customer brand, and maybe also they were being discreet about the measures to make the first catches easier).
So I'd guess that the outlets are writing because the company is putting itself out there, and the story does interest. (Ordinary people are noticing counterfeits on Amazon and such, and I'd guess the idea of marrying high-tech with something as old-world charm as Italian cheese wheels has some clicky light news appeal.)
Since we're on HN, from a startup's perspective... we should hope that someday we could swing favorable coverage from top news outlets, and limit hardball interrogations to private dialogue with investors and prospects. :)
> You want to show business value from the pilot project, which means stopping some counterfeiting sales effort, or unmasking some gray market diversion
That seems easy enough to arrange to have happen, so why didn't it?
That seems easy enough to arrange to have happen, so why didn't it?
The article gives several reasons that p-Chip is the best candidate for this use case, and I think addresses your other question marks here as well. Did you read it? It's not very long.
They clearly read the article, as they are citing numbers from it. You didn't read the hacker news guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
[deleted]
Right. So you don't eat the rind. However, it's an outstanding addition to many soups, where you simmer it in the soup, and the soup takes on some of the delicious umami flavor of the Parmigiano. You then remove the rind before serving.
What happens to the chip when we do that? Will it stay embedded in the rind after simmering for an hour or two? If not, will it pass through safely if I eat it?
What happens to the chip when we do that? Will it stay embedded in the rind after simmering for an hour or two? If not, will it pass through safely if I eat it?
I use parm rind (Parmigiano Reggiano rind) for a couple things. One is to make a parm broth for Fettuccine Alfredo. Another is when making a pomodoro sauce loaded with aromatics (garlic, red onion, fresh basil, etc).
"Cheese buyers aren't going to eat this embedded label." Are you sure?
"Cheese buyers aren't going to eat this embedded label." Are you sure?
The rind can definitely be eaten, and it’s delicious. If you put it in soup like you said it becomes soft and chewy, but you can also grill it or eat it raw on its own (I do sometimes, after cleaning the surface with a knife). My grandma used to say it’s good for your teeth, which is probably not true.
You can eat the rind. Some people do. That's not typical, however.
> The p-Chip micro-transponder is a grain of salt-sized silicon chip containing a unique identification code that is attached to the silicon substrate.
It will probably be safe if it gets accidentally ingested.
> The p-Chip micro-transponder is a grain of salt-sized silicon chip containing a unique identification code that is attached to the silicon substrate.
It will probably be safe if it gets accidentally ingested.
If you go to Italy the airport scanners might think you're a wheel of cheese.
Agreed. I’ve just eaten ragu following a recipe on YouTube that advised me to tuck the rind from the Parmesan into it before cooking the sauce for 3 hours. It completely broke down. Not fancying a chip in my pasta sauce.
I hope that the grocery store who is splitting the wheel removes the rind area with the label. I don't like the idea of ingesting a eating a chip even if it's very very small.
Pretty little chip and can withstand 500°C.
https://p-chip.com/about/
https://p-chip.com/about/
1) Most consumer grade chips are rated up to 80c-110c. EDIT: Ah you weren't naming any random chip, that's the chip they're using. My b.
2) That doesn't say if the chip gets dislodged, whether or not it's big enough to notice before someone swallows it. A grain of salt probably isn't. Hopefully the materials are safe to ingest.
Horrendously irresponsible practice by the manufacturer, IMO.
2) That doesn't say if the chip gets dislodged, whether or not it's big enough to notice before someone swallows it. A grain of salt probably isn't. Hopefully the materials are safe to ingest.
Horrendously irresponsible practice by the manufacturer, IMO.
This is why they invented cheesecloth, no?
Initial reaction : cool! Subsequently: I am going to stop buying this stuff. I dont care about protecting the cartel, and want to punish them for this sort of behavior.
You like counterfeit foods?
This "cartel" does not care about others making same cheese even using the same recipe, they just care about protecting the name. For example Kraft sells their own version of parmesan in EU without any problems, they just call it "Pamesello"
In other words, it's not a patent, it's a trademark. Those are much more acceptable IMHO, and are often good.
This "cartel" does not care about others making same cheese even using the same recipe, they just care about protecting the name. For example Kraft sells their own version of parmesan in EU without any problems, they just call it "Pamesello"
In other words, it's not a patent, it's a trademark. Those are much more acceptable IMHO, and are often good.
Sounds like they are gatekeeping to me. Anyone can make vodka and sell it as what ever brand they want. Sounds like these guys don’t want anyone making Parmasan cheese which is a type of cheese not a brand. Why can’t someone make Ben or Jerry’s Parmesan cheese? If it tastes better then the original stuff then so be it let the market decide - or are they a cartel controlling who sells what by means of coercion and laws stacked against anyone who tries to enter the market?
It's not Parmigiano Reggiano unless it's made in a specific region, just like Champagne sparkling wine or Hungarian Palinka fruit brandy. Just call it whatever you want and let the market decide. One can also call it Parmesan outside the EU without getting sued.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/11/19/the-dar...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/11/19/the-dar...
What's wrong with establishing a governing body to give it's seal of approval, and letting consumers rely on that?
If we had DOPs from the outset, we'd have a huge number of extra names for the non-regional versions of foods.
Additionally, Italian regulatory bodies are well known for not giving a shit about the products that are exported from Italy, so getting the certified "real thing" isn't a good indicator that, for example, your olive oil is even real olive oil.
If we had DOPs from the outset, we'd have a huge number of extra names for the non-regional versions of foods.
Additionally, Italian regulatory bodies are well known for not giving a shit about the products that are exported from Italy, so getting the certified "real thing" isn't a good indicator that, for example, your olive oil is even real olive oil.
There is a whole host of such bodies in every EA Multilateral Agreement signatory contry. They're called NABs (national acreditation bodies), there are other CABs (conformity acreditation bodies). Also EA MLA signatories include non EU contries such as the UK, Turkye, Albania, Ukraine, Egypt, etc.
https://european-accreditation.org
Olive oil is just vegetable oil made out of olives, but if "Lakonia olive oil" is registered as a PDO then it could only be made in the Greek region of Lakonia using local olives. Olive oil adulterated with other vegetable oils shouldn't be called "olive oil" in the first place. Some "Italian" olive oils are actually from Spain or a mix due to more competitive prices from Spain and EU subsidies. Btw, 2023 is a disastrous year for olive oil producers in Spain because of the spring heatwave which affected the flowering. It's so bad that there was a heist last week involving two tank trailers containing 500 hl worth of Spanish olive oil ready for bottling, totaling €0.5M.
https://european-accreditation.org
Olive oil is just vegetable oil made out of olives, but if "Lakonia olive oil" is registered as a PDO then it could only be made in the Greek region of Lakonia using local olives. Olive oil adulterated with other vegetable oils shouldn't be called "olive oil" in the first place. Some "Italian" olive oils are actually from Spain or a mix due to more competitive prices from Spain and EU subsidies. Btw, 2023 is a disastrous year for olive oil producers in Spain because of the spring heatwave which affected the flowering. It's so bad that there was a heist last week involving two tank trailers containing 500 hl worth of Spanish olive oil ready for bottling, totaling €0.5M.
I wasn't very clear what my point was:
What is wrong with relying on the trademark for such a body's seal of approval, rather than constructing what is essentially a trademark on the name of a product, which is already firmly part of the commons?
Why do you need to prohibit others from using the name Parmesan, when consumers can look for the seal (if the body is trustworthy)?
> Olive oil is just...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2016/02/10/the...
Salient bit:
> Even the labels bearing the coveted "Protected Designation of Origin" or PDO stamp indicating the precise geographical origin of a particular extra virgin olive oil to ensure the quality of that region’s agricultural products, and which are subjected to more strict controls, have not escaped the illegal trend.
If the government-sanctioned group that gets to essentially trademark terms hundreds of years old (and take them out of the commons) can't do a good job ensuring that the product isn't adulterated, maybe it would be better if these were industry-established groups that could compete with each other to establish a reputation of reliability.
What is wrong with relying on the trademark for such a body's seal of approval, rather than constructing what is essentially a trademark on the name of a product, which is already firmly part of the commons?
Why do you need to prohibit others from using the name Parmesan, when consumers can look for the seal (if the body is trustworthy)?
> Olive oil is just...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2016/02/10/the...
Salient bit:
> Even the labels bearing the coveted "Protected Designation of Origin" or PDO stamp indicating the precise geographical origin of a particular extra virgin olive oil to ensure the quality of that region’s agricultural products, and which are subjected to more strict controls, have not escaped the illegal trend.
If the government-sanctioned group that gets to essentially trademark terms hundreds of years old (and take them out of the commons) can't do a good job ensuring that the product isn't adulterated, maybe it would be better if these were industry-established groups that could compete with each other to establish a reputation of reliability.
Nobody is prohibited from using the name "parmesan," which is a relatively recent term. That's why you can buy powdered "parmesan" from your grocery store that's up to 8% cellulose and made in the US.
People are prohibited from using the name "Parmigiano Reggiano," which for centuries was not a general term, but the name of the specific regional cheese.
What tends to happen is that a name that gets famous for some high-quality regional food is then used by someone else making a lower-quality food that's cheaper to produce, which does mislead consumers. This is exactly the sort of thing trademarks are for.
A great book on all this is Real Food, Fake Food.
People are prohibited from using the name "Parmigiano Reggiano," which for centuries was not a general term, but the name of the specific regional cheese.
What tends to happen is that a name that gets famous for some high-quality regional food is then used by someone else making a lower-quality food that's cheaper to produce, which does mislead consumers. This is exactly the sort of thing trademarks are for.
A great book on all this is Real Food, Fake Food.
In the US, yes, but we have a history of ignoring or only partially adhering to these types of restrictions. In Europe, this is not the case:
> Within the European Union, the term "Parmesan" may be used, by law, to refer only to Parmigiano Reggiano itself, which must be made in a restricted geographic area, using stringently defined methods.
See also champagne vs. méthode champenoise vs. méthode vs. méthode traditionnelle. In the EU you can't even use the second option anymore. In California, it was initially referred to by the first option, then the second, and now a mix of the second and the third.
I don't think this is helping consumers at all. If they want champagne from the Champagne region of France, they can tell immediately from the label.
> Within the European Union, the term "Parmesan" may be used, by law, to refer only to Parmigiano Reggiano itself, which must be made in a restricted geographic area, using stringently defined methods.
See also champagne vs. méthode champenoise vs. méthode vs. méthode traditionnelle. In the EU you can't even use the second option anymore. In California, it was initially referred to by the first option, then the second, and now a mix of the second and the third.
I don't think this is helping consumers at all. If they want champagne from the Champagne region of France, they can tell immediately from the label.
[deleted]
In the EU, many foods fall under protected labeling law and it goes well beyond Parmesan and italy.
I'm personally all for it, fuck the waste they sell in the US such as wood pulp with cheese flavoring sold as Parmesan.
I'm personally all for it, fuck the waste they sell in the US such as wood pulp with cheese flavoring sold as Parmesan.
> fuck the waste they sell in the US such as wood pulp with cheese flavoring sold as Parmesan
The Parmesan they make in Wisconsin is closer to the cheese they made in Parma a hundred years ago than today’s Parmiggiano Reggiano [1].
Italy went through in a decade, after WWII, the wealth expansion Britain did over a century in its Industrial Revolution. A lot of “classic” Italian culture is carryover from America, e.g. carbonara, or modern mythology.
[1] https://www.ft.com/content/6ac009d5-dbfd-4a86-839e-28bb44b2b...
The Parmesan they make in Wisconsin is closer to the cheese they made in Parma a hundred years ago than today’s Parmiggiano Reggiano [1].
Italy went through in a decade, after WWII, the wealth expansion Britain did over a century in its Industrial Revolution. A lot of “classic” Italian culture is carryover from America, e.g. carbonara, or modern mythology.
[1] https://www.ft.com/content/6ac009d5-dbfd-4a86-839e-28bb44b2b...
I suspect the commenter was thinking of 'grated parmesan' that is typically sold by Kraft at grocery stores in a green can.
The quality Wisconsin Parmesan's are usually very very good, served in wheels or chunks like quality Reggiano (though as you mention a slightly different cheese to Parmiggiano Reggiano) and I don't know of anyone, Italian or otherwise that would describe them as 'wood pulp with cheese flavoring'.
The quality Wisconsin Parmesan's are usually very very good, served in wheels or chunks like quality Reggiano (though as you mention a slightly different cheese to Parmiggiano Reggiano) and I don't know of anyone, Italian or otherwise that would describe them as 'wood pulp with cheese flavoring'.
Some years ago I was at a vineyard in Burgundy harvesting grapes that were sent to Champagne to be turned into Champagne (the sparkling wine). It's interesting how the labeling law can be misused when it suites the champions of the specific label...
When the carbon footprint of hard cheese is 10x that of milk per pound the best you can do is completely ditch cheese specially when it is a useless food seasoning.
Somebody said that "big Parma is putting tracking microchips into human beings".
I think the joke was "the conspiracy theorists, were so close to being right!, It's Big Parma that is putting microchips into all of us"
that is completely ok - after 10 years I can say that "I am 90% parmigiano" and prove it by scanning the thousands of chips that will be inside me.
[deleted]
How exactly does this "foil counterfeiters"?
Is every buyer supposed to scan the chip and verify? Does that scale?
Is every buyer supposed to scan the chip and verify? Does that scale?
My guess is that this is so e.g. US CBP can scan imported wheels that purport to be legitimate, and (eventually) reject counterfeits.
One chip per wheel..
I think this is for further up the supply chain. Some importer claims to have a great deal on a specific cheese, is it the real deal?
Personally, I'm fine with eating a Parmesan that says it's a slightly different Parmesan.
I think this is for further up the supply chain. Some importer claims to have a great deal on a specific cheese, is it the real deal?
Personally, I'm fine with eating a Parmesan that says it's a slightly different Parmesan.
[deleted]
I love chips with cheese, but not like that.
I'm pleasantly surprised to see a real-world use case for blockchain tech going live.
Looking forward to the subscription
Acting hard on fakers basically says you add little value compared to them.
Or that the value cannot be verified before purchase.
Selling really bad fakes for the same price as real (as the price is known before purchase, otherwise it's called theft or deceiving) is not going to work.
In this case cheese: you will never buy again if you find it tastes horribly different from what you expected.
In this case cheese: you will never buy again if you find it tastes horribly different from what you expected.
"Batches 24-30 have produced an uptick in hospital visits! Producer: prove that it came from us."
Why can't we categorize things by quality rather than origin? I don't know why the EU has an obsession with further entrenching the big old rich companies. Same with champagne or chianti classico wine.
Plus it's not like average consumers will have the hardware to verify this new custom chip. Even if it's "un-clonable" as they claim, which I doubt. So if they have to just go to the store and hope anyway, nothing's really changing.
Plus it's not like average consumers will have the hardware to verify this new custom chip. Even if it's "un-clonable" as they claim, which I doubt. So if they have to just go to the store and hope anyway, nothing's really changing.
Because the US did the same through IP law and would do it to all foodstuffs from EU without this protection.
One could say, why can't the US produce sparkling wine or sweet red wine without calling it Champagne or Port wine? I don't agree with the concept of cultural appropriation for anything, but having huge American conglomerates pump money into a mass produced product and slapping it with the name of a tiny region of a small country to eliminate all the local small producers is the single exception where I think it applies.
Plus it doesn't even lock anyone out, you can (and people do), buy land in the region and produce locally if you really want to. What you can't do is sell California wine and market it as something it's not to protect small producers.
One could say, why can't the US produce sparkling wine or sweet red wine without calling it Champagne or Port wine? I don't agree with the concept of cultural appropriation for anything, but having huge American conglomerates pump money into a mass produced product and slapping it with the name of a tiny region of a small country to eliminate all the local small producers is the single exception where I think it applies.
Plus it doesn't even lock anyone out, you can (and people do), buy land in the region and produce locally if you really want to. What you can't do is sell California wine and market it as something it's not to protect small producers.
Interestingly, both Budweiser and Pilsner are "culturally appropriated" from Czechia. These used to be beers brewn in Budweis (České Budějovice) and Pilsen (Plzeň), respectively.
And then there's Miller, which calls itself "The Champagne of Beers"
> why can't the US produce sparkling wine or sweet red wine without calling it Champagne or Port wine?
Anybody could do that. Rather problem is it won't be successful since people recognize "champagne" and they will order that. Even if they know that sparkling wine could be the same type of beverage they will immediately assume it is inferior regardless of the actual quality.
It's a nigh-insurmountable obstacle to overcome centuries of advertising, legal entrenchment, and habit for any new start up company that just wants to make a high quality good.
The status quo only helps the large corporations that have been advertising and lobbying for the last century.
Anybody could do that. Rather problem is it won't be successful since people recognize "champagne" and they will order that. Even if they know that sparkling wine could be the same type of beverage they will immediately assume it is inferior regardless of the actual quality.
It's a nigh-insurmountable obstacle to overcome centuries of advertising, legal entrenchment, and habit for any new start up company that just wants to make a high quality good.
The status quo only helps the large corporations that have been advertising and lobbying for the last century.
Just produce good California wine for centuries, develop methods to produce it and you’ll have the same benefit then. Champagne or Port didn't start by taking the name of some other land and had much less money and power than anyone in the US today.
They did it with Bourbon. I can't see why it can't be done with Californian wine.
> Rather problem is it won't be successful since people recognize "champagne" and they will order that.
It could be successful if these people stop being snobs and educate themselves a bit. For instance I like Prosecco, not Champagne sparkling wine. But since the former is not a protected designation of origin, I have to revert to buying DOC or DOCG, look for Conegliano, Valdobbiadene or Milesimatto on the label. If a large wine producer from say Germany would start slapping these words on Sekt labels and flood the EU market with the product, how would I be able to tell the difference without buying and tasting the product? Luckily, the Germans like it extra dry and are proud of their own product, which is great.
It could be successful if these people stop being snobs and educate themselves a bit. For instance I like Prosecco, not Champagne sparkling wine. But since the former is not a protected designation of origin, I have to revert to buying DOC or DOCG, look for Conegliano, Valdobbiadene or Milesimatto on the label. If a large wine producer from say Germany would start slapping these words on Sekt labels and flood the EU market with the product, how would I be able to tell the difference without buying and tasting the product? Luckily, the Germans like it extra dry and are proud of their own product, which is great.
For some things location really, really matters because the processes involved have too many variables to control reliably and at-scale.
Weather/temperature/pressure patterns aren't trivial things to control, neither are soil conditions, or atmospheric composition (particulates, organisms, pollutants, etc).
So to say that XYZ cheese or wine or whiskey isn't unique because of where it comes from is a falsehood, that is something that should remain in use unless you can prove that it doesn't matter (which so far all meaningful attempts have failed).
What the issue is, really, is that naming rights/conditions/etc are by and large too restrictive in the EU. The US is much better in that respect, though still far from perfect, but what winds up happening, like you've said, is that large corporations leverage government in order to create regulations that benefit them in some way. That's a huge problem to solve, and exists in every industry that matters and many that don't.
Weather/temperature/pressure patterns aren't trivial things to control, neither are soil conditions, or atmospheric composition (particulates, organisms, pollutants, etc).
So to say that XYZ cheese or wine or whiskey isn't unique because of where it comes from is a falsehood, that is something that should remain in use unless you can prove that it doesn't matter (which so far all meaningful attempts have failed).
What the issue is, really, is that naming rights/conditions/etc are by and large too restrictive in the EU. The US is much better in that respect, though still far from perfect, but what winds up happening, like you've said, is that large corporations leverage government in order to create regulations that benefit them in some way. That's a huge problem to solve, and exists in every industry that matters and many that don't.
We can and we do. It's just that some product names are limited by origin - like a piece of (other) cultural art, food also has a locational history.
But I do agree that maybe average customer don't care about that.
But I do agree that maybe average customer don't care about that.
In the US at least, I am fairly certain that the vast majority of consumers fail to recognize any _categorical_ difference between "parmesan" cheese and "parmigiano-reggiano" cheese (except perhaps the price).
Indeed, even the headline of this article about P-R just calls it "parmesan", which is the same non-DOP term used to refer to similar-style cheese produced in many other places (eg Hungary) and sold in the USA.
Indeed, even the headline of this article about P-R just calls it "parmesan", which is the same non-DOP term used to refer to similar-style cheese produced in many other places (eg Hungary) and sold in the USA.
My three year old daughter can tell the difference. We keep reggiano on hand and if you give her an inferior Parmesan she will ask for the “good one”. My grocery store buys the wheels from Italy and it’s much better to grate it on demand.
My comment is not to say that people can't distinguish them, but that they are ignorant of the fact that "parmesan" is not DOP and "Parmigiano-Reggiano" is, and that they are not the same category.
[deleted]
I agree that we should make America grate again
My karma is crumbling. My comment just melted into the background. Perhaps it will improve with age.
The target audience for this verification quite clearly is not consumers but store chains (or possibly restaurant chains), so that they can verify what their suppliers are selling them.
[deleted]
The use of blockchain here is very questionable and makes the rest of the product suspect to me.
"The p-Chip is like a special anchor that uses blockchain technology to create a digital copy of real things" -> lol what? It's just a chip that returns a unique serial number when scanned?
Seems like you could accomplish the same thing with an RFID tag (or possibly even a bar code sticker) along with a centralized database.