Why Quebec wants to protect the cheese curds it claims are necessary to make 'original' poutine

Quebec is moving forward with plans to shield its poutine cheese curds with protected geographical status.

The Conseil des Industriels Laitiers du Québec (CILQ), the province’s dairy industry association, is pushing for a “Protected Geographical Indication” (PGI), which would enable provincial producers to identify their cheese curds as protected with an official designation seal.

To obtain the PGI, all production stages — from raw materials to final packaging — must occur in Quebec.