The European Court of Justice has ruled that Parma ham and Grana Padano cheese must be sliced or grated and packaged in the region of production if they are to carry the protected designation of origin (PDO), or DOC, as it is known in Italy. The judgement represents a victory for the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma, the consortium of Parma ham producers, which brought proceedings against a supermarket chain in Britain selling parma ham sliced in that country, and for Biraghi, a producer of Grana Padano which brought a case against a French company grating the cheese in France. The court pointed out that the grating of cheese and slicing of ham and their packaging are important operations which may damage the quality and authenticity of the product and consequently the reputation of the PDO.