{"id":515959,"date":"2026-03-05T12:42:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T12:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/515959\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T12:42:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T12:42:14","slug":"dairy-group-to-seek-designated-status-for-quebec-poutine-cheese-winnipeg-free-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/515959\/","title":{"rendered":"Dairy group to seek designated status for \u2018Quebec poutine cheese\u2019 \u2013 Winnipeg Free Press"},"content":{"rendered":"

MONTREAL \u2013 A group representing Quebec\u2019s dairy industry says it\u2019s eyeing a special designation \u2014 similar to the one applied to Bordeaux wine or champagne \u2014 for the squeaky cheese curds best known as a key ingredient in poutine.<\/p>\n

The Conseil des Industriels laitiers du Qu\u00e9bec is seeking a protected geographical indication \u2014 a status similar to a trademark that links products to a specific region \u2014 for \u201cQuebec poutine cheese.\u201d<\/p>\n

A protected indication \u201cis a public intellectual property right that is defended by the state,\u201d explains Marjolaine Mondon, a project coordinator at the Conseil des appellations r\u00e9serv\u00e9es et des termes valorisants \u2014 CARTV \u2014 a group that oversees product designations in the province.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA cook prepares a poutine at La Banquise restaurant in Montreal on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Paul Chiasson<\/p>\n

Currently, products that have the designation include Quebec icewine, Neuville sweet corn and Charlevoix lamb.<\/p>\n

In order to get the protected status, a product has to be linked to the territory where it\u2019s produced and \u201cpossess a particular quality, a reputation or another characteristic that is attributable to its geographical origin,\u201d Mondon said.<\/p>\n

For Charles Langlois, the head of the Conseil des Industriels laitiers du Qu\u00e9bec, the goal is to protect Quebec\u2019s food heritage and see how many producers are interested in having their curds certified.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s also our \u2026 \u2018national\u2019 dish, which is part of our heritage, and we want to be able to tell outside consumers that if you want the original, you need Quebec cheese curds with the reserved designation seal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Other products around the world have similar designations, famously France\u2019s sparkling wine known as champagne, which obtained the status in 1936. According to the French government, products labelled \u201cchampagne\u201d must come from a specific geographic area in northeast France extending over five departments from \u201cvineyards planted at elevations between 90 and 300 metres and composed mainly of chalky soils.\u201d<\/p>\n

Langlois said the designation will also help promote Quebec cheese curds internationally, at a time when poutine is becoming increasingly popular outside the province\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s an interest in the American market in certain high-value restaurants for more niche products, specialty products,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd also in Europe, especially in France and Germany.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are still several steps to go before a protected geographical indication can be granted. The dairy group has to formally present their request to the CARTV. Quebec law, which governs the certification process, stipulates that the CARTV must hold public consultations on the request for designation.<\/p>\n

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After the status is obtained, the CARTV has \u201cpowers of inspection and monitoring once the products are on the market. There are monitoring plans for public markets, websites, online marketplaces, businesses, kiosks, and of course all retail outlets, to ensure that the designation is being used correctly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Langlois, meanwhile, said the initiative is well underway, and both he and Mondon believe they could have a decision by 2027.<\/p>\n

Mondon notes that the designation isn\u2019t easy to get, and the process will have to determine the precise qualities the product will need to meet to be certified, including how it melts, its heat resistance, and maybe even how squeaky it is.<\/p>\n

An independent body will also have to review each producer\u2019s certification on an annual basis to ensure they meet the standard.<\/p>\n

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MONTREAL \u2013 A group representing Quebec\u2019s dairy industry says it\u2019s eyeing a special designation \u2014 similar to the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":515960,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194296],"tags":[49,48,22073],"class_list":["post-515959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-winnipeg","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-winnipeg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=515959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515959\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/515960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=515959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=515959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=515959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}