News You Can Use

Groupe Lactalis Acquires the McLelland Group

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Groupe Lactalis recently announced it has acquired the McLelland Group, the United Kingdom's third largest cheese company.

Based in Glasgow, Scotland, McLelland produces 100 million pounds of cheddar annually under the Seriously Strong brand, the second leading retail cheddar brand in the United Kingdom. Andy Smith, manager for Groupe Lactalis in the UK, will manage the company.

The acquisition is part of a strategy of internationalization for Lactalis, which has purchased six companies in eight different countries (Ukraine, Moldavia, Kazakhstan, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, the USA, and Poland) in the last six months. The company's recent acquisition of rondele marked its first North American acquisition in the United States in five years.


Humane Farm Animal Care Certifies Two New Producers

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Jamison Farms, supplier of fresh lamb, and Big Sky Ranch, a producer of natural certified Hereford beef, are the newest companies to be approved for use of the "Certified Humane Raised and Handled" label by Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC). More than 20 companies in the United States and Canada are now certified to use the label, which guarantees a producer's animals are raised humanely.

Unveiled in May 2003, the "Certified Humane" label on meat, poultry, egg, or dairy items means those products have passed rigorous on-site inspections and met HFAC's precise standards for humane farm animal treatment. Animals must receive a nutritious diet without antibiotics or hormones and must be raised with shelter, resting areas, and space sufficient to support natural behavior.

Other producers using the HFAC label include: Meyer Natural Angus, du Breton Farms, Maverick Ranch Pork, Murray's Chicken, Nellie's Nest Eggs, Pederson's Natural Farms, Prather Ranch, Equinox Restaurant, Alison Family Farms, Nature's Premier Organic Company, Heritage Acres Pork, Pure Farms Bacon, and Flying Pigs Farm.

HFAC is a national nonprofit organization supported by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and The Humane Society of the United States. For more information, visit www.certifiedhumane.org.


Busseto Foods Expands

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Busseto Foods is nearing completion on an extensive expansion project of its facility in Fresno, Calif. The expansion, which will nearly double the Italian specialty meat company's production capacity, is expected to be complete next month.

"The expansion will enable us to meet the increasing demand for our product lines," said Michael Grazier of Busseto Foods, whose company has been producing Italian specialty meats since 1981. Perhaps best known for its signature product line of Flavored Gourmet Salami Chubs, Busseto's product lines have grown over the years to include Italian Dry Salami, Pancetta, Coppa, and Prosciutto.

Busseto's products are marketed nationally, as well as in Mexico and Japan, and are available and packaged for both retail and foodservice applications. For more information, call 559-485-9882.


Bernina Bresaola Back in the U.S.

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In response to the ban on imported beef from the EU, Tacuarembo SA and Salumificio Menatti, a member of the Conzorzio di Produzione Bresaola Della Valtellina, have collaborated to bring Bernina Bresaola back to the U.S. from Uruguay.

Italian Bresaola producers have exported their expertise to Tacuarembo SA, a 44-year-old family-owned and -operated company headquartered in Montevideo, Uruguay. Here, cattle are raised free range, eating only natural grasses. The use of growth hormones is forbidden in Uruguay. Bernina Bresaola is made from top round using traditional Italian production techniques.

For more information, visit www.bresaolabernina.com.


U.S. Wins WTO Case Against EU Geographical Indications

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Growers of Idaho potatoes and Florida oranges have cause for celebration according to a recent memo from the Cheese Importers Association of America that details the World Trade Organization's (WTO) recent ruling on a Geographical Indications (GIs) dispute.

The complaint, brought by the United States and Australia claimed the European Union's (EU) system of registering and protecting GIs discriminates against foreign products and therefore, violates WTO rules. GIs are geographical names that have a particular association with a food product, such as Asiago or Brie de Meaux. The EU has granted GI protection to approximately 600 EU food products. However, non-EU nations are not entitled to receive full GI protection for their exports.

The WTO panel agreed with the U.S. and Australian claim that the EU's system of GI protection imposed significant barriers to registration and protection for non-EU persons and non-EU products. The panel also agreed with the U.S. that under WTO rules the EU could not deny U.S. trademark owners their rights as a result of protecting GIs.

The EU will be allowed to keep its protections for existing Gis, such as Roquefort cheese, champagne, and Parma ham.

"This is a big win for American farmers and food processors," said U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick in a written statement. "We brought this case because we believed that under WTO rules U.S. farmers, ranchers, and other food producers should have the same access to protection for 'geographical indications' as European food producers."