NMPF-Led Common Names Bill Reintroduced in Congress
April 2, 2025
NMPF, USDEC and the Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN) welcomed the April 1 reintroduction of the bipartisan SAFETY (Safeguarding American Value-added Exports) Act that would protect the rights of U.S. dairy producers to use common food names like “parmesan” and “feta” in global markets.
Shaped and championed by NMPF, USDEC and CCFN, the legislation, first introduced in May 2023, would amend the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 by:
- Establishing a list of names at risk and explicitly defining “common names” as a term ordinarily used for marketing a food product, as determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),
- Defining foreign restrictions of those common names as an unfair trade practice; and
- Directing USDA to “coordinate with the U.S. Trade Representative to proactively defend the right to use common names for agricultural commodities or food products in their markets” through various negotiating tools.
The bill is sponsored by Sens. John Thune, R-SD, Tammy Baldwin, D-WI, Roger Marshall, R-KS, and Tina Smith, D-MN, in the Senate and Reps. Dusty Johnson, R-SD, Jim Costa, D-CA, Michelle Fischbach, R-MN, and Jimmy Panetta, D-CA, in the House. It marks a renewed effort to counter the European Union’s attempts to monopolize generic names in markets around the world by misusing geographical indications rules, effectively blocking access for American cheese exporters.
“Losing the right to use common names has direct, on-the-ground consequences for U.S. dairy farmers,” said Gregg Doud, President and CEO of NMPF. “The Safeguarding American Value-added Exports Act is an important milestone to making that a reality.”
