Winning cheeses were all ‘the same’
Cheese-maker reveals that competing products were ‘the same cheese’, writes Kate Shuttleworth.
SOMETHING smells a little funny in the competitive world of New Zealand cheese-making.
It’s emerged that at last year’s New Zealand Champion of Cheese Awards the two gold and bronze medal sheep cheeses were made by the same company from the same recipe, only matured, wrapped and branded differently.
The results were annouced that gold medals had gone to Balfour by Gibbston Valley cheese and Monte Cristo by Whitestone cheese, silver to Pecorino Romano by Blue River Dairy and behind in third place, Curio Bay Pecorino, also by Blue River Dairy.
Gibbston Valley in Queenstown and Whitestone Cheese in Oamaru didn’t break any rules, but the awarding of two gold medals and bronze for cheese manufactured by the same cheesemaker, just branded differently, showed customers were being left in the dark over where their specialty cheese really came from.
Under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards code, labels should show the name and address of the supplier, but did not need to display where the cheese had been manufactured. If a supplier mislead the customer in any way by saying they made the cheese, it would breach the Fair Trading Act.
Wayne Robertson, has been a cheese-maker for 47 years, 13 of those contracted by Blue River Dairy, which this year won a silver medal at the International Cheese Awards in Nantwich, England.
Robertson confirmed the sheep cheeses awarded gold and bronze medals at the New Zealand cheese awards were the same, just matured and packaged differently.
‘‘They’re the same cheese, made by the same process but matured differently.
He said that being beaten by his own cheese was ‘‘quite a laugh’’.
‘‘I did really get two golds and a bronze though. We do like to retain our own brand – it would enhance our brand if we were listed on others’ packaging as the manufacturer, even just in fine print.’’
All Blue River cheeses were labelled as manufactured at Blue River Dairy in Invercargill.
Gibbston Valley co-owner Kevin Paul acknowledged their gold-medal winning sheep cheese hadn’t been made by them and on their premises, but said, ‘‘it is our recipe and our style – it is unique to us’’.
According to Robertson, the recipe was Blue River Dairy’s but said Gibbston had had ‘‘input’’.
Paul would not confirm where his gold medal-winning cheese had been made, saying it was commercially sensitive.
New Zealand Specialty Cheese Association chairman Miel Meyer said it was common for businesses to get others to manufacture cheese from them to their specifications.
‘‘When accepting an award the winner often credits the producer.’’
He said Gibbston Valley had all their cheeses made elsewhere, including the award winning product from Blue River Dairy. He had no issue with that system as long as no one deliberately lied or misled customers over the origins of their cheese. ‘‘Maybe consumers need to be educated,’’ he added.
Canterbury Cheesemonger coowner Sarah Aspinwall considered the practice of contracting out the manufacturing of cheese, or buying in cheese and re-branding it, ‘‘dishonest and quite misleading’’.
‘‘It’s legal but I don’t agree with it – it’s not ethical or moral.’’
The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) is only interested in the name and business address of the supplier, manufacturer or vendor so the item could be traced if it did not meet food standards as country of origin labelling is voluntary in New Zealand, except for wine. GETTY IMAGES
‘ They’re the same cheese, made by the same process but matured differently.’ WAYNE ROBERTSON