EU Waste Management Proposal Stirs Controversy Over Camembert Packaging

French cheese producers and politicians defend traditional wooden packaging, while EU promises exemptions for certain cheeses.

French cheese producers have raised concerns over a proposal in the European Union aimed at streamlining and optimizing waste management, claiming it would make it illegal for Camembert cheese to be packaged in its traditional wooden box for the final weeks of ripening and sale.
The wooden box is considered essential to the character of Camembert, contributing to its texture and smell.
Jean-Paul Garraud, a member of the European Parliament for France’s far-right Rassemblement National, has voiced opposition to the proposal, stating 'Don’t touch our Camemberts!'
The European People’s Party, the largest group in the European Parliament, has defended the use of wooden boxes for Camembert and other cheeses, arguing that packaging them in plastic would be a 'gustatory and environmental aberration'.
Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius has stated that the EU will ensure that raw-milk specialized non-industrial Camemberts — those that have a controlled designation of origin — will be exempt from any regulation.