The Consortium for Common Food Names, of which IDFA is a member, has condemned the European Union’s recent decision to delay implementing free trade agreements with Costa Rica and El Salvador.
The group believes the EU made its move to pressure these trading partners to approve certain geographical indication (GI) applications that have been filed in Central American markets.
By employing GIs, which provide producers in a specific region the exclusive right to use a particular product name, the EU limits the use of food names that the United States and many other countries recognize as generic.