Belgian customs in Ypres destroyed an import of 2,352 cans of American beer that bore the trademark slogan "The Champagne of Beers". The move was hailed by the Comité Champagne (Champagne Committee) as a victory for misuse of a protected term.
The cargo of Miller High Life beer was seized in February in the port of Antwerp. But the official organisation that seeks to protect the appellation 'Champagne' asked the customs authorities to destroy the illegal goods, which happened on Monday. The US beer infringes EU regulations to protect products of recognised geographical origin.
The cans were opened one by one, emptied and then crushed. "The recipient of the goods in Germany has been informed and has not challenged this decision," the Champagne Committee stated in a press release. Upon inspection by Belgian customs officials, the product was identified as "counterfeit", despite being a genuine article from the US brewery.
The subsequent disposal of the beer garnered international attention.
More than 2,300 cans of Miller High Life, the "Champagne of Beers," were destroyed in Belgium, after a French trade group said the slogan violated European Union protections on the word "Champagne" https://t.co/BijJFe4uq0 pic.twitter.com/RGG9P1LP2l
— CNN (@CNN) April 22, 2023
Miller High Life has had the slogan 'The Champagne of Beers' for 120 years. In a playful show of reconciliation, producer Molson Coors Beverage Co. stated that it remains proud of the slogan and the beer. It addressed "Our European friends" and said they "are welcome to the United States anytime to toast Miller High Life together."
Mission accomplished
The operation was overseen by the Comité Champagne, which paid for the product to be disposed of. A subsequent statement from the Belgian customs agency gave assurances that the procedure was carried out “with the utmost respect for environmental concerns by ensuring that the entire batch, both contents and container, was recycled in an environmentally responsible manner”.
Newspaper ad for Miller High Life beer from 1906. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
In a statement to AP news agency, managing director of the Champagne Committee Charles Goemaere celebrated "a successful collaboration between the customs authorities and the services of the Champagne Committee."
“This confirms the importance that the European Union attaches to designations of origin and rewards the determination with which the Champenois see to the protection of their designation of origin. I would also like to thank Belgian customs for their vigilance with regard to the champagne name and their responsiveness.”
