| Take a stroll down the aisles of your local | | | | developed the "Protected Designation of Origin"- a |
| supermarket or gourmet food store and you | | | | culinary copyright, if you will. Strict rules govern |
| may notice that many foods are labeled "artisan" | | | | production particular to the protected food and |
| or "artisanal". You'll find products such as bread, | | | | wine such as region, recipe and method. The |
| chocolate, cookies, crackers, coffee, flour, | | | | countries of France, Italy and Spain have greater |
| gourmet cheese, granola, oils, pasta, salami, salt, | | | | quantities of foods and wines that benefit from |
| spices, and vinegar described as "artisan(al)". And | | | | this labeling system and each have a different |
| this term is not just reserved for specialty foods, | | | | acronym reflecting the translation into their |
| mass grocery brands are employing them as well. | | | | respective languages - AOC, DOP and DO |
| Sargento Artisan Cheese Blends and Wheat Thins | | | | respectively. To make matters confusing, a PDO |
| Artisan Cheese Crackers are perfect examples. | | | | labeled food does not necessarily guarantee an |
| How are shoppers to know whether this is just a | | | | artisanal product, as there are mass producers |
| savvy marketing term or if their product selection | | | | adhering to these stringent rules. And conversely, |
| is truly "artisan(al)"? | | | | there are plenty of high-quality European foods |
| The main issue with the term "artisan(al)" is that | | | | made by hand in small batches that do not |
| it's not regulated by the FDA like other food label | | | | benefit from PDO status. See the article below |
| terms such as "low-fat", which have strict usage | | | | for more information on European food labeling |
| guidelines. "Artisan(al)" also bears different | | | | laws. |
| meanings across different food categories. Artisan | | | | According to The American Cheese Society, an |
| coffee implies the beans are roasted in small | | | | organization supporting American artisanal and |
| batches while Italian artisan balsamic vinegar is | | | | gourmet cheeses, for American cheeses to be |
| produced according to strict regulations regarding | | | | labeled "artisanal", the focus is on the process |
| recipe, process and region. Essentially, the | | | | (and not the region, like in the EU). American |
| common denominator for the term "artisan(al)" is | | | | artisanal cheeses are typically made by hand in a |
| to suggest associations of high-quality and to | | | | traditional manor and in small batches. This allows |
| differentiate the product from mass produced | | | | for the cheese maker to have greater control |
| foods. | | | | over the quality, flavor and craftsmanship. |
| When shopping for cheese in the United States, | | | | To feel confident that the gourmet cheese you |
| the origin of production plays a major role in how | | | | are selecting is indeed artisanal, take a look at the |
| it's labeled. The countries of the European Union | | | | label or ask the cheese monger. Is it made by a |
| (EU) have long recognized how food and wine is | | | | small company or a large corporation? Does the |
| not only a way of life and a symbol of cultural | | | | packaging offer details about the production |
| and national pride but also an important tradition | | | | process and the cheese maker? Regardless of |
| worthy of preservation and continuation. In an | | | | the "artisan(al)" term, what matters most when |
| effort to protect these types of foods, to ensure | | | | selecting gourmet cheese is the taste. High-quality |
| a high-quality product and to minimize consumer | | | | will always be reflected in the flavor. |
| confusion of similar products, the EU has | | | | |