[gerardnll]

It’s always the same. Information and packaging. If you don’t know which labels and exactly which denominations to look for you may be eating something that’s not exactly what you expect. And that’s sad because it affects the reputation of great products with a long history and dedication. But that happens also even in the country of origin. There are various types of Ham in Spain, some people have only tried the ‘worst’ (compared to the best) and don’t know which is the denomination of the best (100% iberian, black tag). Maybe you’ve tasted the lowest category one and you don’t like it but you can love the higher-end ones, the difference is quite big. Also, there’s olive oil sold as Italian, that comes from Spain. But it seems like Italians are the only ones that produce it. There are articles about edulterated parmesan being sold in USA where they even found wood, there’s a whole mafia about that. All that while there’s great products being made by centuries old farms and hard working farmers. It’s OK if the US wants to produce ham but they should make it clear it’s not the same and avoid confusion.

PS: I think ‘5 jotas’ is the most international brand of iberian products, try their ham or other iberian derived products, they are one of the best available.

[llsf]

Yes, if some US famers want to do some Iberico-style ham, they should be able to, but they cannot call it Iberico. They should build their brand, and not confuse consumers with a geographically based label that is clearly not accurate. They should compete on their own merit and quality, and not rely on a brand that took centuries to build. I would be fine if they label it as "Iberico-style ham" or "prepared the Iberico way", just not call it Iberico. Actually, if they plan to deviate from the original recipe (i.e. using different nuts) because they think it is better then Iberico, then they should differentiate themselves from Iberico. Unless using different nuts is a way to cut cost, and they still want to label it Iberico ?