Food Regulations in Europe Could Hamper Trade Deal with U.S.

Everything from snobbish protectionism to unscientific fears of genetically modified crops

Europeans can be downright fussy when it comes to their food.

Many of them think, for example, that only the rich, hard cheese that has been made for hundreds of years in the Parma region of Italy should be labeled as Parmesan – not the stuff made by Illinois-based Kraft or others.

And despite repeated assurances from the United States, many of them have questioned whether it's really safe to eat meat injected with hormones or the genetically modified crops that Americans gobble up by the bushels.

Food issues could be among the trickiest to overcome as U.S. negotiators aim to expand trade with the European Union, moving on a plan announced Tuesday night by President Barack Obama in his State of the Union speech.