It's not disrespecting products, it's protectionism. the EU is wierd as all getout when it comes to food. They don't like "biologically-engineered" fruits and vegetables either.
In some areas, just like Americans, they act like idiots.
No disrespect intended.
I agree, but I think there is a danger in confusing a proposal with the actual law. Lots of European regions are clamoring for protection, but don't have it. And you actually have three different types of laws.
First, there are content laws. The German beer law simply bans any ingredient in beer other than water, hops, grain, and yeast. So their market is essentially open to anyone willing to abide by those rules. Rules on antibiotics and hormones in meat and genetically modified fruits and vegetables fall into the same category.
Second there are origin laws. This is especially prevalent in wines. Only certain regions are entitled to use the name of the region in their products such as Burgundy, Moselle, and, yes, Champagne.
Finally there are product name laws, for which there is less of a justification. A varietal wine grown in Chile, California, or South Africa can be better than the same product of France or Italy. I think eventually this is going to be simplified to require that certain products be processed in a certain manner and/or be based on certain ingredients to be eligible for a certain name, just as Bleu Cheese or Liverwurst.
Bear in mind also that American and European categories can be wildly different. There is no such thing as Swiss cheese in Switzerland (it is either Emantaller or Gruyere)!
