The Dutch cheese sector is emphasizing the importance of Gouda cheese, which has the 'Gouda Holland' quality mark, with a new advertising campaign. This should ensure that consumers can make conscious choices. Abroad, the quality mark provides protection against imitation.
About 65% of the Dutch think that Gouda cheese should only be made in the Netherlands, research figures show. An even larger percentage of all 'cheese eaters' (approximately 85%) prefer Dutch cheese. Nevertheless, Gouda cheese is produced all over the world.
Hallmark reveals origin
"When consumers buy Gouda cheese, they expect it to be Dutch. Only with cheese with the 'Gouda Holland' quality mark, which can be recognized by the 'Protected Geographical Indication' seal, can you be sure that it really comes from the Netherlands", says marketing expert Johan Schildkamp of the Dutch Dairy Organization (NZO). "Since the cheese sector in the Netherlands believes that the Dutch have the right to know from which country their Gouda cheese comes, we are starting the campaign. The Dutch retail sector currently does not mention the quality mark on the packaging. If they do, they have less leeway. when purchasing."
Emphasizing the importance of the quality mark also has to do with the import of Gouda cheese from abroad. However, it is not known what percentage of the total consumption of Gouda cheese is imported. "In the export of cheese with the 'Gouda Holland' quality mark, greater awareness of this quality mark means that less use is made of 'Holland signals' on the packaging," says Schildkamp. He is referring to Delft blue tiles.
Cheese indispensable for the Dutch
The advertising campaign for Gouda Holland also responds to the trend that consumers find it more important to know in which country their cheese is made. This is supported by consumer research. Figures from PanelWizard and GfK show that 97% of the Dutch sometimes eat cheese. More than 90% of the Dutch say they cannot miss it. Almost 8 in 10 Dutch people have breakfast and lunch with cheese several times a week.
They often opt for the familiar combination with the sandwich, but cheese is also popular on hard and soft sandwiches, toasted sandwiches and crackers. The Dutch who buy cheese at their foreign holiday address find that it tastes different from cheese from their own country. Almost 67% are happy that when they return to the Netherlands they can eat real Dutch cheese again. About 57% of the Dutch think it is impossible that Gouda cheese can also be made abroad.
The research agency 'PanelWizard' conducted the research 'Gouda cheese from the Netherlands' in March 2019 among 1.037 people aged 18 and older on behalf of the NZO. In January 2019, research agency GfK Netherlands conducted the 'Cheese and Culture' survey among 1.042 people aged 18 and older, commissioned by the NZO.
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