Wait! Is That Really Parmesan Cheese You're Eating?
Posted in: UncategorizedThe government of Italy is preparing to spend millions of dollars in hopes of convincing Americans that when it comes to food, “just because it looks Italian, doesn’t mean it’s Italian.”
A three-year campaign touting Italian-made pastas, cheeses, olive oils and more will include TV commercials, digital video, PR and retail activations, said Italian Trade Agency officials this week during a U.S. food industry trade show. The goal is to get more Italian products in stores while convincing shoppers that foods made in Italy are of higher quality than those that have Italian-sounding names but are made elsewhere.
Italian food makers face a challenge in this country because the U.S. government does not abide by European Union food labeling regulations that protect geographic designations of origin. That allows an American-made brand to label a cheese as Parmesan, for instance, even though it is not made in the regions of Italy near the cities of Parma and Reggio Emilia. In Italy, so-called Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is made using a complex and time-consuming method.
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