How to tell the difference between a beloved Parmesan and a cottage cheese? Just look for the one with the chip in it.
Producers, tired of the counterfeit products flooding the market, are starting to embed edible microchips in their cheese wheels.This is to help consumers distinguish authentic parmesan—or Parmesan — and fakes, it has been reported this wall street journal.
Sellers can scan the microchip to obtain a unique serial number, which provides information about the origin and authenticity of the cheese.
To date, more than 100,000 chips produced by the US company p-Chip have been embedded in wheels of Parmesan cheese and tested to withstand extreme conditions.
The chips, which can be as small as a grain of salt, are the latest effort by European food producers to protect original products from mass-produced knockoffs. The EU has so far protected more than 3,500 products, including feta cheese from Greece and a herb grown in France.
The Italian Parmesan Industry Federation first piloted the scheme in 2022, aiming to crack down on counterfeits and make it easier for consumers to pick out the real thing.
No wonder Parmesan has spawned a false market, as it is one of the best known and most widely consumed Italian cheeses.
The global market for this breed is estimated to be worth by 2021 $2.7 billionAccording to the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese federation.However, the value of the counterfeit market is not far away, with a value of about $2 billion.
The U.S. happens to be the largest consumer of counterfeit Italian products, packaged cheese products claiming to be from Italy even though they have been local production.
Food fights, anyone?
Debate over the status of food is not new in the EU.Croatia has been trying to get protected status for its Prošek wine under EU rules ten yearswhich refers to the “Protected Designation of Origin” or “PDO” label.
But the bid was resisted by Italy, which produces a similar-sounding Prosecco sparkling wine. The dispute remains unresolved, and Croatia continues to call its white wine by a different name: Vino Dalmato.
Even when it comes to cheese, the U.S. and Europe have been at loggerheads for many years Name the product if produced outside its place of origin.
Earlier this year, a U.S. court ruled that producers could Use “Gruyere” Even if it was produced outside of the Gruyère region of France and Switzerland, it will be noted on the label of such cheeses.
Experts warn that the fights point to a pattern — there have been many before the Parmigiano-Reggiano fake, and there may be many after.
“It could be a never-ending situation,” Rita Tardiolo, a defense lawyer for the Italian food consortium, told reporters. journal.
Svlook
