Store-bought “100% Parmesan Cheese” Has Everything But Parmesan…HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

You’d think that products made in the United States have to have accurate labels, right?

Well, the FDA has issued a warning that the “100% real” cheese you feed your family may not be cheese at all.

Castle Cheese Inc., a beloved american cheese brand was discovered to have produced parmesan cheese containing no actual Parmesan for almost 30 years

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case.

Neil Schuman—who runs Arthur Shcuman Inc, the largest seller of hard Italian cheese in the U.S.—estimates that a whopping 20 percent of parmesan cheese sold in the United Sates is mislabeled .

Because parmesan cheese is more expensive to make than other cheeses, many inexpensive cheese brands bulk up their products with cellulose to make more profits.

Parmesan wheels are cured for months before they reach the right taste, texture and moisture content. While 100 pounds of milk might produce 10 pounds of cheddar, it makes only eight pounds of Parmesan .

Cellulose is a anti-clumping agent made from wood pulp that also adds weight to the cheese . It’s safe to say that it’s best to consume naturally-occurring cellulose in fruits and vegetables rather than chewing on wood by-products.

While cheese technologists at the Center for Dairy Research in Madison, Wisconsin confirm the cellulose is a safe and accepted additive, it’s only supposed to make up 2-4% of the cheese.

The problem is that many cheese companies do not disclose the use of cellulose in their products or use higher percentages than dairy production guidelines allow.

“The tipping point was grated cheese, where less than 40 percent of the product was actually a cheese product,” Schuman said.

“Consumers are innocent, and they’re not getting what they bargained for. And that’s just wrong.”

The addition of cellulose also changes the nutritional value of these products. DairiConcepts, a Missouri-based cheese maker that’s a subsidiary of Dairy Farmers of America, said on its website that in a test of 28 brands, only one-third of label claims about protein levels in grated parmesan were accurate .

And that’s not all, the FDA found no parmesan in cheese products labeled 100% grated Parmesan Cheese. Instead, they found swiss, mozzarella, white cheddar and cellulose in these products, which were sold in 3,400 retail stores across 30 states.

How are consumers supposed to make health conscious decisions if the labels they trust aren’t telling the truth?

HOW IS THIS LEGAL?

In short, it isn’t. In Europe, Parmigiano-Reggian is allowed to contain only three very simple ingredients: milk (produced in the Parma/Reggio region and less than 20 hours from cow to cheese), salt, and rennet (a natural enzyme from calf intestine).

Three other ingredients, Cellulose Powder, Potassium Sorbate, and Cheese Cultures are found in American cheeses but are completely illegal in European production.

American cheese don’t follow the same standard and have their own anglicized name: Parmesan. The FDA regulates what can legally be called Parmesan or Romano cheese according to specific standards in place since the 1950s .

The administration is currently researching claims and complaints in an attempt to ensure quality. Unfortunately, some brands trademark the name of their product or their claim to try to avoid persecution.

The situation has gotten so bad that European cheese are getting in on the crackdown. Bloomberg reports that the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, a trade group based in Rome, asked the European Union in December to protect its manufacturers against U.S. companies.

They believe that the use of Italian flags and cheese names are deceitful to consumers and are undermining the perception of quality of true Italian products.

WHAT BRANDS ARE THE WORST OFFENDERS?

The following results indicate cellulose content of popular brands that’s higher than what the FDA allows:

Castle Cheese Inc.: 2-4 %
Essential Everyday 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese: 8.8%
Great Value 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese: 7.8%
Kraft parmesan: 3.8%
Whole Foods 365 brand: 0.3 %

HOW TO AVOID FAKE PARMESAN

Above all, do not buy pre-shredded cheese!

The best way to avoid eating these fake products is to purchase cheese directly from reputable artisanal cheese markers.

You can typically find these products in farmer’s markets and specialty food shops.

If you want authentic Parmigiano-Reggian, go to an Italian grocer and look for the Italian name and signature pin-prick patterns on the rind.