The World Cheese Awards is an international cheese competition held annually worldwide. This year it was held in the city of Newport, Great Britain. For the first time in the 34 years of the WCA’s existence, 39 Ukrainian cheeses were able to participate in it, and 13 became finalists. You can read about the winners on Oksana Chernova’s Instagram page.

With the appearance of the first winners of the international competition, Ukrainians will want to buy them on store shelves. A special marking – a World Cheese Awards sticker- can identify prize winners. The year of the competition and the finalist category are indicated on the sticker. The categories are divided into Super Gold, Gold, Silver, and Bronze.

Oksana Chernova, a Ukrainian cheese expert, talks about a detailed guide to obtaining labeling and its role in Ukrainian business.

Oksana Chernova is a cheese expert in the ProCheese community, founder of ProCheese Academy, and judge of the World Cheese Awards international competition.

Selection of cheeses for the World Cheese Awards finals. Source: procheese.ua

“It is necessary to get branded product labeling through the participant’s office on the World Cheese Awards website. Only a limited number of stickers can be ordered from each manufacturer, which can be used to sell the winning cheeses. As indicated in the official guide, the manufacturer is not allowed to print the stickers on his own — only the Guild of Fine Food can confirm the originality of the labeling,” the expert shares.

Also, the guide to obtaining the marking states that each award is valid for three years. After this, producers can resubmit their product to the World Cheese Awards. Therefore, award logos can only be submitted for the previous three years at any time. This rule applies not only to the WCA but also to other world awards and honors. For example, the AOP and PDO designations are valid for three years. This is done for producers to confirm the quality and taste of their cheese over the years.

As we indicated earlier, this is the first year that Ukrainian cheeses were able to become participants in the World Cheese Awards and receive awards at it.

How it affects the Ukrainian cheese market

The winning cheeses will become a popular product on the shelves of the country’s chains. Through international recognition, Ukrainian cheeses have already confirmed their quality and can be sold not only on the state’s territory but also exported abroad. This is important not only for manufacturers but also for popularizing Ukraine worldwide.

Oksana Chernova hopes that soon more and more people will be able to learn about and taste the product of the cheese winners.

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