What does the logo “Fromages de chez Nous” (Our local cheeses) mean?

A cheese labelled “Our local cheese” is produced and ripened in Belgium with milk of Belgian origin, obviously.  Belgium benefits from a diverse cheese-making tradition.   For many years, monks in their Abbeys contributed to safeguarding the Belgian cheese-making heritage (as they also did with beers) and enabled us to develop many different shapes, aromas and textures which today mean that we have a such a rich heritage.  So-called “Abbey” cheeses signify a category of semi-hard cheeses with a natural rind: the know-how of their manufacture came from these abbeys.  In spite of this, only 20% of cheeses consumed by the Belgian population were actually produced locally!  Next time you go shopping, take time to look for this logo, so you can be sure of eating a 100% Belgian cheese – and don’t hesitate to ask for advice from your cheese supplier.