Italy: Parmesan producers decry soaring sales of ‘fake’ cheese
It is one of the world’s most copied cheeses – and those behind the original are not happy. Hence a gathering in Italy’s northern city of Bologna on Thursday at which producers displayed what they said was a ‘rogues’ gallery’ of ‘fake’ Parmesan or ‘Parmigiano’ – complete with a fake cow to go with it. The event comes as it was claimed sales of non-authentic Parmesan overtook the genuine article for the first time last year. Decrying a loss in sales of 60 billion euros, one producer said that meant “less employment, a smaller economy, less quality and less health guarantees on our tables”. The United States is seen as the main culprit in the production of fake Parmesan.
