American cheese - the view from the eastern side of the Atlantic

Culture, Media, General Food Media and News
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So I just got back from the supermarket that is closest to me.
Cheese section, deli is behind me.

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Every brand of parm reggiano was clearly labeled “imported from Italy.” Feta is a different story. Feta cheese will say the country of origin but I picked these 3 to show some crafty marketing tactics. All three of these are made in the US. The Greek names could throw people off. The one called President says “Europe’s leading cheese expert.” Look at the first line on the container. Is this a big brand in Europe? As for gouda, it was clearly labeled and the ones from the Netherlands were represented here.

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Shrinkrap, your local store looks like it has a great cheese selection! Where are you located and where do you shop?

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It is a big French brand, yes. I suppose these may be considered "crafty’ marketing techniques. But as I posted above there are stores that sell European made cheeses without the packaging in your post. Also there is no reason why people couldn’t make feta right here locally. Or mozzarella either. and that doesn’t make it a scam necessarily.

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I never said anything about a scam. I just said it was a crafty marketing approach by some of these US companies :slight_smile:

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I am located where I like to think of as half way between the Valley and the Bay. And maybe a hillside east of Napa.

Where I shop depends on what I’m looking for, but shout out to Country Square Market , Lucky’s on Monte Vista, Nugget Market in Browns Valley ,Vacaville, (where these pictures are from), and my local SAFEWAY!

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I’m in Northern California.

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Yes. We buy their butter if the supermarket hasnt got our usual organic British butter.

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In response to various comments and speculations above:

AFAIK

All consumer packaged products sold in the US MUST state their country of origin, USA or elsewhere, from cheese to canned beans to sliced ham to clothing to cars to smartphones. Look on the label of any packaged product; the origin will usually be on the back where the company’s address is shown – it will state “Made in …” or sometimes “Packaged in …” or other similar terminology. The rules for what it must say and how the origin is determined are complex can be complicated (e.g. with cars or phones), but the “origin” country as defined in the rules must be stated in a prescribed manner on the package. Again, it’s all in the Code of Federal Regulations. In the case of unpackaged bulk items that the grocer may cut off for you, like cheese, the COE will generally appear on the bulk package it was shipped in – presumably you could ask to see it if you were so inclined. But in any case they don’t put on the label the hoity-toity country of origin simply because it’s a sign of quality; they do it because they are legally required to do so. If they also put it in big letters on the front, then yes that part is “hype.”

President is a French company/brand. I’m certain President butter sold in the US is made in France. I imagine the same is true of other products they sell in the US but I don’t know for sure – they of course could sell US made things under their brand name if they so chose, but since their French connection is an important tool for them I doubt they would. Look on the back of the package --it’s there, whatever it is. If they make feta in France but have to sell it in France/EU under a different name, that’s due to EU regs – they could still sell it as feta here and state it is “Made in France.” Or they could source it in Greece and then sell it in the US and state “Made in Greece”(or if they buy it in bulk and package it in France I think they could say “Packaged in France”).

All successful companies engage in marketing “hype” on the front of their packaging, if you want to look at it that way. If you’re fooled by that it is on you, not them. Turn the package over and read the small print. What it does, and doesn’t say there is what matters. If President wants to say they are “Europe’s Cheese Expert” or “The best thing since sliced bread” they can do that and if you think it means anything then bully for you.

The US does not follow EC or other European countries’ labeling laws or rules of origin. We are a sovereign nation, believe it or not, and we have our own rules. Sorry about that. For example, California winemakers can call their sparkling wines they sell in the US “Champagne”, while Italians cannot do that in Italy (they presumably could in the US). US cheese makers can call their US made cheese Parmesan if they want (it will have rules regarding how it’s made but I digress). That is because they started selling it under that name before the European makers of those products registered those names (which are trademarks) in the US under US law, so those words are considered generic descriptions in the US and anybody can use them. OTOH, trademarks they have registered in the US are protected in the US; as an example, I assume this is true of Parmesiano-Reggiano, meaning a US cheesemaker can’t use that term without the Italians’ permission because the Italian P-R trade group “owns” that trademark (not absolutely sure about that particular example but anyway the general principle applies); in general, once a place name has legally become a generic term in the US, it can no longer be registered as a trademark and anybody can use it as long as they follow US rules for what that product must consist of.

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More than just the ads, it is advertising. So if there is an article about making jam in a slow cooker there may well be brand-specific recommendations and implications for slow cookers and immersion blenders. This is common in movies (the reason ET ate skittles) and television shows. Advertisers pay to be mentioned in the content. In the case of SE it is more egregious as the promoted device or product may not be best for the application much less for the consumer. The dorm room appliances article was merely one example that I find most distressing given the safety concerns.

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Apparently product placement isn’t always that memorable.

reeses

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@johnb EXCELLENT! Thanks for this reasoned response.

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Right you are. I haven’t watched ET in years. sigh My error. I should have checked before posting. Regardless, such things get paid for a lot and in the case of SE they end up in editorial content that people have a reasonable expectation of being objective.

In my mind there is a difference between “The Big Bang Theory” showing Kraft American Pasteurized Process Cheese Food" (I don’t know if they do or have - trying to stay on thread) and for a blogger to recommend it because they have been paid to do so.

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You actually believe what you read on BLOGS? Even disclosures about restaurant comps don’t even out the differential treatment, service and kitchen product offered a known blogger and “Joe-off-the-street”.

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Serious Eats is a blog - Mr. Levine certainly calls it one. Mr. López-Alt, Mr. Gritzer, and Ms. Parks and the rest of the SE staff are bloggers. Certainly I believe what I read from Ms. Moncel (Budget Bytes) more than Ms. Kanter (Serious Eats). Labels like “blogger” or “culinary director” are titles and not indicators of credibility.

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I don’t quite follow that. Certainly a blogger might be paid (although I’m sure many aren’t either because they are too small or because they prefer to remain independent) but it’s a near certainty that any movie or TV show of any kind will have been paid and paid well.

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For me, blogs provide “hooks” on which to hang verified information. They may lead me to research a place or person or thing that I had not been aware of. But no more credible than the NYT, WSJ, WP, all of which have a margin of error.

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We are certainly in agreement there.

Still a difference when a source of any kind presents a review of products or even mentions them as in use without a disclaimer that they are taking sponsorship from the manufacturer or other seller.

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Agreed but also dubious relationships are assumed. Me? A skeptic?

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I’ve been following this and trying to learn. I still read Seriouseats, but wonder if I’m missing some of the more egregious things going on.

This is a copy and paste of the disclaimer I recognize from Seriouseats and from other blogs.

" This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Serious Eats. Read more about our affiliate linking policy."

I took it from For the Best Pistachio Ice Cream, Toast the Nuts and Ditch the Paste

As I mentioned, I purposely use it when I feel a blog deserves my support. I see some products “plugged”, and I can assume after reading some of your posts that I should assume some dishonesty, but it’s not like they are subliminal

Ignoring the stuff not embedded in the text, which seems to follow me on most sites (but not here on HO!) I’m counting maybe 10 endorsements.

Mostly here

"Maraschino or Cointreau, or you can opt for those with an overtly nutty profile, like Pistacchino or even Amaretto. I’ve also found that amaros work particularly well, as their herbaceous profile adds a nice sense of freshness when diluted into the base.

I’ve been happy with Cardamaro in that role, but Cynar is a standout option"

I assume these are brands; I don’t use them, but I recognize Cointreau.

Also here “Skip this step if you like, or embrace the science of color correction with a light blue gel paste from a brand like Americolor”

And of course here; " See our guide to the best ice cream machines for more information on which models we like to use.)"

I consider that a separate article, but maybe not.

Is there something I missed? Maybe there is a way to know how much money they get by some other means. I know for physicians even taking a sandwhich is recorded and considered suspect. Which is why I don’t accept even a sandwich, nor meet with drug reps. Too bad though, since they sometimes have information I might find useful.

From Grubstreet

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