ITALY: If you slice it somewhere else, it just won't taste the same.That's what the European Union's highest court ruled yesterday in the case of northern Italy's famous salty Parma ham.
It said Parma ham and the region's gourmet Grana Padano cheese can only be sliced or grated for pre-packaging in the regions where they are made.
"Maintaining the quality and reputation of Grana Padano cheese and Parma ham justifies the rule that the product must be grated or sliced and packaged in the region of production," the court said.
Ham producers first complained in 1997 that the British supermarket chain Asda, owned by US retail giant Wal-Mart, was offering ham that was produced in the Parma region but packed and sliced in Britain. Although Asda stopped this practice some time ago, the legal wrangle ensuing from the producers' complaint has dragged on through the courts ever since.
"It's a great day that means those years of fighting were worth it. It means when people buy Parma ham in the supermarket, they know it's the real stuff," said Mr Maurizio Tosini, president of the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma producers' association.
The court battle was fought under EU rules giving special certificates of protection to some 570 local delicacies, including Scottish beef, English Stilton cheese, Greek Kalamata olives and Rioja wine from Spain.
To protect their brands, producers of Parma ham and Grana Padano registered both Italian names with the EU in 1996.