European Central: Belgium Destroys Miller High Life "Champagne Of Beers"
Miller High Life has famously said its beer is the “Champagne of beers” for years. While it can get away with using this slogan in the United States, this is impossible in the European Union. This is because of the European Union’s system of protected geographical indications. As it is, Champagne cannot be produced in France outside the region of Champagne, much less in other member states. The Comité Champagne requested the destruction of the shipment and paid for it. The shipment was intercepted in the Port of Antwerp and destroyed by Belgian customs officials.
Miller High Life is currently not exported to the European Union in order to avoid dealing with the issue of using the word Champagne in order to describe its beer. A private buyer in Germany ordered the shipment of beers that got destroyed. Miller High Life has stated it “respects local restrictions” around Champagne yet wants to remain proud of its own history. The beer Miller Highlife was first nicknamed the Champagne of Bottled beers in 1906, only three years after becoming Miller Brewing Company’s flagship beer. The slogan “Champagne of Beers” was first used in 1969 as a shorter version of the previous nickname. For holidays, Miller High Life has also been released in 750 ml Champagne-style bottles.
EU Geographical Indications
Currently, the European Union has a system of geographic indications to protect foods and alcoholic beverages. The system comprises of three different designations: protected designation of origin (PDO which can apply to food and wine), protected designation of origin (PGI which can apply to food and wine), and geographic indication (GI which only applies to spirit drinks).
PDO is more restrictive than PGI and requires the entire process of making the product to be done in the geographical location it is tied to. For example, Kalamata olive oil must not only be produced in the Kalamata region of Greece but also exclusively use olives grown in that region. The same applies to champagne and all of the grapes must be grown in Champagne, France, and used to produce champagne within the region. PGI is a less restrictive designation that only requires one of the stages to take place in the region. An example is Westfälischer Knochenschinken which is produced in the region of Westphalia in Germany. While the ham is produced utilizing a specific process, the pigs do not need to be born and raised in the Westphalia region. Only 85 percent of grapes must be grown in a specific region for a wine to qualify for a PGI. In order to obtain a GI, the raw ingredients do not need to come from a specific geographic region but at least preparation or distillation happens in a specific region. An example is Irish Whiskey which is brewed, distilled, and matured in Ireland, since the 6th century yet the raw ingredients do not necessarily come from Ireland.
The European Union plans to strengthen the system even further. The EU hopes it can increase the number of geographical indications in order to help strengthen the rural economy. Similar to the rest of the world, rural regions are falling behind cities economically. This is causing rural residents to move to urban areas. As a consequence, there are fewer services for citizens who remain in rural areas and do important jobs such as producing food for the rest of the country.
Other American Products That Anger The EU
This is not the only product to irritate member states of the European Union. Besides champagne, there is resentment over American companies using parmesan and gorgonzola as names for the cheeses it produces, which Italy argues can confuse consumers. Parmesan and gorgonzola cheese produced in the United States and other countries do not have to abide by the same strict standards as Parmigiano-Reggiano and gorgonzola cheese produced in Italy. Simultaneously, these products benefit from the name as the products are produced with stricter regulations which also causes production to be costlier than the knock-offs. While Italy may not have been successful yet in its fight in the United States, in Ecuador it won. Kraft can no longer sell any cheese under the name Parmesan. There is logic to the anger of those who produce traditional products. The production of fake parmesan is worth 2 billion euros, 15 times the value of Parmigiano-Reggiano exported from Italy.
An Italian academic has caused controversy by claiming that Wisconsin in fact is the only place to find authentic parmesan cheese. The academic claims that the recipe used by cheesemakers remains unchanged unlike the recipe used in Italy which has evolved throughout the years. This has angered Coldiretti, the largest farmers’ association in Italy. Italy is currently applying to have its cuisine included on Unesco’s intangible culture list and comments like this can hurt the success of Italian cuisine’s candidacy. Alberto Grandi, a food history professor at the University of Parma, has caused controversy with other statements, including that Carbonara is an American dish created in Italy and the first pizza restaurant in the world opened up in Italy.
As long as Miller High Life is referred to as the “Champagne of Beers”, it will be excluded from the European Union. Parmesan and Gorgonzola will also continue to anger Italians, regardless of Professor Grandi’s research. The European Union’s plan to expand the system of geographic indications may prove valuable to rural regions which tend to struggle more than urban regions. Time will tell if more designations for food and alcoholic beverages will prove to be beneficial for EU citizens in the countryside economically. If it does, it may prevent further population loss in the rural regions of member states.
