"Cheese" that isn't cheese, "kashkaval" made with palm oil instead of milk - a trick as old as supermarkets themselves. In the neighbourhood they've finally decided to rein it in: Republika Srpska has brought in a rule under which dairy imitations made with palm or other vegetable oil must carry a clear red label stating they are "not a 100 percent dairy product".

The rules are specific. Products containing vegetable fats must sit in separate display cases and shelves, kept apart from real dairy products. Deceptive names are also banned - "cheese", "vegetarian cheese", "cheese analogue" and the like - as are images that suggest milk if the product contains none. The regulation took effect on 5 June.

For the consumer, this is an important win. For years the shelves have held products packaged to look like the real thing, while the ingredient list tells another story - one the fine print rarely reveals at a glance. Once they have to carry a red label and sit off to the side, the game of deception gets harder.

The question that asks itself is: and us? While the neighbours protect their consumers and local dairy producers from unfair competition, the Macedonian shopper still has to read the fine print and guess what they're actually taking home. Maybe it's time our institutions "remembered" that consumer protection isn't a luxury but an obligation.