How to Be a Conscious Eater

22

FOOD FRAUD

Y

ears ago, I learned the saying in Parma, Italy, that the

farther away from the town you travel, the worse the

Parmigiano-Reggiano tastes. The cheese is a storied

delicacy first perfected in the 1200s. Over time, it has earned

a global status, easily garnering twenty dollars a pound.

Like Champagne from France, only the cheese produced in

designated parts of Italy can be considered true Parmigiano-

Reggiano, and it must be aged at least a year. Its similar-looking

cousin, Parmesan, whose trophy case is a bit more sparse, is

still by no means a cheap cheese in the United States. When

you age the Parmesan wheels, they dry (hence the desirable

grating texture and nutty taste), but that shrinks the yield and

affects manufacturers’ bottom lines.

So in 2012, it was disturbing and yet easy to understand

when news hit of a major Pennsylvania-based cheese producer

cutting its product labeled 100 percent real Parmesan with

cellulose. That’s an FDA-approved additive, made from wood

pulp, which is essentially what paper is made of. Sawdust,

some call it. What’s it doing on your pasta? For the pre-grated

kind sold in those little plastic tubs, it reduces clumping. And

it acts as a filler. (It’s also a common ingredient in processed

foods that have “added fiber.”) The manufacturer, Castle

Cheese, was investigated by the FDA, and it turned out that

none of the cheese was actually Parmesan. It was a blend of

imitation cheese and by-products of other cheeses like moz-

zarella and Swiss. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2014,

and its president, who pleaded guilty to criminal charges, was

given a large fine and potential jail time.

Stuff That comes from animals 85

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