The internationalization of the "appellations d’origine controlée" and “la mise en science du terroir”: issues relevant to the trade in french cheeses of protected origin

Abstract

The article focuses on the most widely recognised label of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) in France, the appellations d’origine contrôlée. Based on the notion of terroir, such a certification structure engages geographic, historical, and social arguments to support the uniqueness of the protected product. Regarding with the mechanisms of institutionalisation of food quality, this paper focuses on the transformations that have occurred in the process of internationalisation of the designations for the French cheese origin. The fact that this structure has been added to the discussions of the World Trade Organisation and the European Common Market has culminated in a series of controversies related to food quality. In this context, the countries which advocate in favour of the labels have developed arguments that could attest to the specific quality of goods of protected origin. A process of legitimisation via intensification of production criteria is observed. Through an ethnographic approach and a dialogic perspective, the article intends to reflect on the different disputes related to food quality.