Swiss research institute Agroscope used data on Swiss cheese imports and exports from 2002 to 2021 to analyse the price effect of AOP or IGP claims on the products. A distinction was made between cheese varieties for which the entire name is protected, such as Gruyère AOP or Roquefort, and varieties such as Gouda Holland or Raclette du Valais, for which only the full name, but not the cheese type alone (Gouda or Raclette), is protected. The researchers also differentiated between cheeses with a registered trademark and other cheeses without a trademark and without a protected indication of origin.
The conclusion, which was published in the current issue of the online magazine ‘Agrarforschung Schweiz’: Cheeses with a fully protected indication of origin achieve a price premium of around 5 per cent over comparable products. Cheeses with a composite AOP/IGP name do not achieve a significant price premium. They compete with similarly named products such as Gouda. AOP/IGP products whose name is a combination of (unprotected) cheese variety and geographical indication have difficulty standing out from similar products.
In the case of registered cheese brands such as Babybel or Appenzeller, the study found no significant price premium for branded cheese products compared to similar non-branded products.
