Why Some French Cheeses Have Protected Status

Jun 23 2026

French cheeses are defined by the quality of their taste and, in some cases, by their distinctive appearance. But French cheese is also defined by its history, and this, perhaps, is the most influential factor, given that the taste, texture and consistency of the best French cheeses comes from sticking to the same sources and the same traditional production processes, which, in most cases goes back hundreds of years.
By maintaining these same standards and processes, a cheese develops unique characteristics and hence it is essential that these origins and processes are retained and strictly adhered to. This is where the protected nature of cheese becomes essential to its success. The cheese-making regions of France are world famous, and this has been built on maintaining proud traditions and sticking to unique formulas which deliver such a distinctive product, which is why most French cheeses enjoy PDO and PGI status.

What is PDO status?

This stands for ‘Protected Designation of Origin’. A cheese bearing PDO status has to ensure that all elements of production, processing and preparation have to take place in a dedicated region, usually the same region that has always been used. And compliance with the PDO status requirements has to be marked on a label attached to the cheese when being sold.

What is PGI status?

This stands for ‘Protected Geographical Indication’, which means there is an indication within the name of the cheese that there is a relationship between a geographical region and the cheese itself. This also specifies that “at least one of the stages of production, processing and preparation must take place in the region”. This is therefore less strict than the PDO status, in terms of how much raw material or how much of the production process must take place within a specific region.

Why are protected statuses important in cheesemaking?

Cheesemaking traditions are very important to some regions of France. They bring money and tourism into a region and in some cases are what a region has built its history, identity and local economy on. So denoting a cheese with protected status ensures:

Origin reputation – It protects the reputation of the origin in the sense that a cheese bearing the name of a region or a protected status linked to region, has to meet strict quality criteria, and can’t drift from these standards.
Consumer protection – Protected status also protects the consumer, so that they know they are receiving an authentic product and not a copy that could have inferior qualities.
Quality – A cheese bearing protected status is a sign of quality and the standard of operational processes that go into making, storing and distributing the cheese.
Fakes – Protected status prevents other cheese producers from attempting to copy a specific cheese and pass it off as the same, authentic product, and hence, damaging the reputation of the authentic cheese and providing the consumer with an inferior product.

So some French cheeses enjoy protected status in order to demonstrate authenticity and to preserve the traditional methods upon which cheesemaking regions earn considerable income and reputation. A protected status then protects both the producer and the consumer and ensures the cheese-producing regions of France remain known for producing some of the best cheeses in the world.