Japan grants protected status to Staffordshire Cheese

Staffordshire Cheese now has special protection in Japan, just like some other British food and drinks.

Other things that need to be kept safe are Cornish Pasties and Anglesey Sea Salt. These will now be protected from being copied in East Asia.

The UK government said that businesses in the country were happy about the announcement.

Additional protections will be announced after more work is finished.

A person who speaks for the government said: “A lot of people in Japan, about 125 million, really like to eat and drink food from other countries. ”

They said: “Protecting the names of famous British products like Melton Mowbray Pork Pies, Welsh Beef, and Staffordshire Cheese stops fake products from being sold in Japan. This helps UK companies sell their products there and makes sure that people get real, good-quality items. ”

Food and farming minister Mark Spencer said that the protection guarantees that the goods Japanese consumers are buying are of good quality.

‘Classic cheese from Britain’

Mary Button from Staffordshire Cheese Co in Cheddleton said that anyone who wants to make Staffordshire cheese has to follow strict rules to use the name.

These tell us where it’s from, how it’s made, and how big it is. “If someone makes cheese and doesn’t follow the rules, they could get in trouble,”. She said Staffordshire Cheese is made from a traditional, strong British cheese. It is believed to have been made in the area for many years.

Ms Button said that her company is the only one making this thing right now.

In addition to Japan’s new protections, the UK will also protect the names and locations of certain Japanese food and drink products, like Hokkaido wine and Hiba beef.