Lately, it seems as though almost everywhere we look there is a situation in every industry that appears to be a little sticky — or should we say cheesy? This seems to be the case for Gruyere cheese.

In recent years, American dairy farmers have been making cheese that is similar to Gruyere cheese. Gruyere cheese originally was produced and invented in Gruyere, Switzerland, a small region located in the Friborg Canton. So why does it matter that American dairy farmers are now producing a similar cheese?

The problem isn’t that American dairy farmers are producing the cheese but that they are also using the name Gruyere to market this cheese. Recently, a group of Swiss cheesemakers went to court requesting that the name Gruyere cheese be used specifically for the cheese that is produced within their region.

They argued that they had been producing this type of cheese since the 12th century and that American dairy farmers producing this same type of cheese and using the same name would be confusing for consumers. The court ruled that the American dairy farmers can continue to market their cheese with the name gruyere but that the name must be lowercase to indicate that it’s generic.

Is this fair to the European farmers who originally created this cheese? Someone looking at this from the stance of an American dairy farmer would probably say yes because this market currently ensures Americans 223,000 jobs. Additionally, American farmers no longer being permitted to use the name “Gruyere” would reduce the revenue of the American dairy industry from anywhere between $9.5 to 20 billion.

This loss in revenue and jobs would be a huge hit to the American dairy industry.

What about the consumers who prefer to purchase Gruyere cheese but instead buy gruyere cheese, which turns out to just be a generic version of the actual cheese?

Imagine, walking down the cheese aisle at the grocery store after a long day of work. All you want is some real Gruyere cheese. You see the name gruyere on the package of cheese and assume that it’s the cheese from Gruyere, Switzerland. When you finally make it home, imagine how disappointed you would be as a consumer to realize that the cheese was really made in the United States rather than Switzerland as you had thought.

It may be easier for consumers if gruyere cheese was given an entirely different name so that consumers wouldn’t be confused.

What about the European farmers who are producing actual Gruyere cheese? Imagine the farmers, cheese producers and workers in Switzerland that are losing business because other farmers are now allowed to market their cheese as gruyere, even though it really isn’t Gruyere. Or the many consumers that think they are consuming actual Gruyere cheese when they are really getting a generic cheese that was produced in the United States — Or the tourist industry that Gruyere cheese brings to Gruyere, Switzerland.

Gruyere is a small town located near the peaks of Fribourg Pre-Alps and is known as a tourist destination. This town got its name from the cheese that originates from that area. It then grew to a tourist destination when people would travel from across the world to taste this specific cheese.

The town continued to grow into even more of a tourist destination by adding a medieval castle, a chocolate factory and more. Without Gruyere cheese being specifically sold from the Gruyere area, will the town of Gruyere still be Gruyere? Without Gruyere cheese, the town would lose the one thing that made it most unique and unlike any other town in Switzerland.

The town could potentially lose their tourism industry because of the decision of a court ruling that took place within the United States.

To better understand this, look at some other industries which have faced similar issues. For instance, Champagne is not allowed to be marketed as Champagne unless the grapes that it is made with come from a specific region in France. This helps Champagne to remain a delicacy instead of becoming generic.

In fact, when outsiders produce a product that is similar to Champagne it is instead labeled as sparkling wine. This is done so that consumers aren’t confused and know that when they are buying Champagne, they are getting something genuine and not a generic product.

After looking at this situation from the perspective of the European cheese industry and from the consumers, is it really fair for American dairy farmers to use the gruyere cheese name? Although it may hinder the American dairy industry, the confusion and harm caused for both consumers and the tourism industry in Gruyere, Switzerland should not be overlooked.

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Naomi Diehl, an accounting student at Messiah University, grew up on a farm in McVeytown. She produced this for a class that required her to write about a moral issue going on in the business world and submit it to a newspaper.