FDA Warns The Parmesan You Eat May Be Wood Pulp

[bananas]

Source: Time

The FDA is cracking down on companies that are lying about selling 100% Parmesan cheese

The FDA is warning pasta and pizza lovers that cheese labeled “100 percent Parmesan” are often filled with cheese substitutes—like wood pulp.

Yes, you’ve been eating wood, thanks to companies like Castle Cheese, which produced Parmesan cheese containing no actual Parmesan for almost 30 years. The president of the company, which supplied megastores like Target, is scheduled to plead guilty this month to charges that carry a sentence of up to a year in prison and a $100,o00 fine, according to Bloomberg.

Neil Schuman—who runs Arthur Shcuman Inc. the largest seller of hard Italian cheese in the U.S.—estimates a whopping 20 percent of such cheese are mislabeled.

<snip>

Read more: http://time.com/4226321/parmesan-wood-pulp/

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

1. WTF!

[forest444]

33. That's why I always buy it by the wedge.

Gotta grate it yourself if you want the real deal.

For anybody looking for a good, budget alternative, try Reggianito (which is only sold by the wedge, usually at Whole Foods).

[think]

2. "charges that carry a sentence of up to a year in prison and a $100,o00 fine'

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-16/the-parmesan-cheese-you-sprinkle-on-your-penne-could-be-wood

[awoke_in_2003]

39. At worst he gets one year probation

And $100k? That is probably pennies on the dollar what he made off of it. The rich never pay for their crimes.

[Cassiopeia]

3. It's terrible what we call food these days.

[left on green only]

4. No Wonder I Keep Getting Spliters........

......oh wait!

[Tab]

5. Please xpost this to cooking & baking

I'm just appalled.

I will say that I have had parmesan cheese that probably could have been wood pulp "fortified" but I moved onto better cheese, but I'm appalled that you can produce a product with no frickin' cheese at all FOR 30 FRICKIN' YEARS and get away with it, and no real consequences.

Anyway, please xpost this to Cooking and Baking

[jmowreader]

11. It has cheese...just not any Parmesan

They're taking other, cheaper white cheeses like Mozzarella, letting them dry out and grating them.

Helpful hint: Never buy grated cheese. You don't know what's actually in it.

[Tab]

14. And what do they put on the ingredient label

I'd like to think you'd have to specify the type, rather than just "cheese".

[jmowreader]

17. Right now, it says Parmesan

http://www.target.com/p/market-pantry-100-grated-parmesan-cheese-16-oz/-/A-14423923#prodSlot=medium_1_7&term=parmesan+cheese

Lists "parmesan cheese" as the first ingredient. I wonder what it USED to say.

[wordpix]

23. if they're putting wood in it, that's prolly not in the ingredients list

just sayin'

[sybylla]

24. Cellulose

It will show up as cellulose, often used in small quantities as an anti-caking agent in all grated cheeses.

But the primary point is that the package didn't reflect the truth of the ingredients.

[christx30]

6. That's why I don't do that white

powder that Kraft passes off as cheese. I get everything from Trader Joes, for about what I pay at the grocery store. Their Unexpected Cheddar is absolutely divine.

[Hekate]

36. Trader Joes has very good cheese wedges, and you're right about their pricing.

They moved into our neighborhood after my kids were out of the house, so I didn't get to test them out during the years I was pinching pennies on the food budget (ooh, look, stew meat on sale at Safeway!). But due to a chain-grocery store strike I moved over to TJ's all at one go and felt their whole price structure was more than fair on all products. Not super cheap -- but fair. And excellent quality.

[demigoddess]

41. yes, I gave up Kraft when I heard this.

appalled that you can put wood into food, no matter what. Haven't they heard about all these digestive issues people are having these days. Not to mention colon cancer, diverticulosis etc.

[Mosby]

43. It's not wood, it's cellulose

and cellulose is a type of insoluble fiber, so it's good for you.

The bran on brown rice - that's cellulose.

The issue is proper labeling and the use of other kinds of cheaper cheeses instead of parm.

[Gormy Cuss]

44. Right, and a common source of additive cellulose in food is wood pulp

because it's cheap.

What's going on here seems to be quantities in excess of stated specs and absence of it as a listed ingredient.

[Judi Lynn]

7. And they've been laughing at us all the way to the bank. How desperate ARE they to make a profit?

They really need to be put in stocks, and fed plate after plate of their wood pulp cheese.

[center]

Castle Cheese, Inc. [/center]

[blackspade]

8. Assholes will do anything to make a buck.

Un-fucking-believable.

[geomon666]

9. Only $100,000?

After 30 years of this shit?

[valerief]

10. My Market Basket Parmesan and Romano grated cheese says it contains

microcrystalline cellulose to prevent caking. Same stuff in our vitamins.

Microcrystalline cellulose is a term for refined wood pulp and is used as a texturizer, an anti-caking agent, a fat substitute, an emulsifier, an extender, and a bulking agent in food production.[1] The most common form is used in vitamin supplements or tablets. It is also used in plaque assays for counting viruses, as an alternative to carboxymethylcellulose.[2]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcrystalline_cellulose

My vitamins all say they have vegetable cellulose. (I don't like the ones with gelatin, which is made from cow bones--mad cow cows possibly.)

A majority of the capsules used for dietary supplements or pharmaceuticals contain gelatin, which is derived from animal products. Vegetable capsules are derived from plant products including cellulose, an insoluble fiber found in fruits and vegetables. This is an attractive option for people who prefer no animal byproducts (such as vegetarians) and no preservatives in their capsules. Make sure to check with the manufacturer regarding the contents of their vegetable cellulose capsules, as it can vary from company to company.
http://answers.webmd.com/answers/5008721/what-is-vegetable-cellulose-capsule

[ToxMarz]

12. Please tell me Martin Shkreli doesn't own a Cheese Factory

Or have anything to do with public/municipal water systems

[PSPS]

13. Actually, this has been widely known for a long time

I remember reading a report on grated Parmesan cheese in Consumer Reports about 30 years ago (maybe more) that said they found cellulose filler in several brands they named. At least at that time, Kraft's was rated acceptable with 100% real Parmesan cheese.

[Tab]

15. I used the Kraft "green can" for the first time in probably 20 years lately

And was surprised that it had improved (it used to be dried crap). I still don't buy it, but I won't automatically back off if that's my only alternative.

But, yeah, growing up, it could have been all wood pulp. Not so much now. Never thought I'd be defending them, but they have improved.

[jtuck004]

16. We are all stardu...uh, termites. n/t

[lonestarnot]

18. Are termites now going to eat my eyes or is Pinocchio their best customer?

[olddad56]

19. so, that explains the splinters in my rectum.

[ToxMarz]

32. I fear that's not the only possible explanation 8-)

[proverbialwisdom]

20. Don't miss this Parmesan cheese story recently in the news either.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-bonds-parmesan-idUSKCN0VB1OQ

Tue Feb 2, 2016 10:23am EST
Italian cheese firm sells Parmesan-backed bond

An Italian dairy cooperative has sold bonds backed by Parmesan cheese, the company said on Tuesday, a rare example of one of the country's plethora of small firms raising funding on capital markets.

Three years of recession have choked bank lending and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's government is trying to encourage firms to raise money elsewhere and take advantage of a tentative economic recovery.

Cheese-maker 4 Madonne Caseificio dell'Emilia has done just that, raising 6 million euros ($6.55 million) in mini-bonds guaranteed by wheels of Parmesan.

Madonne's chairman said it would use the money raised in the bond issue to improve its facilities and promote the thick-rinded cheese it makes in Italy's northern gastronomic heartland Emilia Romagna.

More than 95 percent of Italian companies have fewer than 10 employees and traditionally rely on bank lending for financing.

<>

More: http://21stcenturywire.com/2016/02/06/banking-on-cheese-italys-innovative-financing-through-parmesan-bonds/

http://www.npr.org/2016/02/04/465530198/italian-dairy-cooperative-guarantees-bonds-with-cheese

[Festivito]

21. Americans need more fiber. It was a public service.

Not being that health conscience, I grind my own. Grater feeds into the food processor blades.

[Monk06]

22. If it's shredded in a tub it isn't Parmesan

This is Parmesan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmigiano-Reggiano

[sybylla]

25. Interesting that they are mentioned as a Target supplier.

Last month I bought some cheddar at Target to make cheese soup and it did not behave like real cheese. It turned to great clumps of rubber eraser.

Never had that happen before. Now I am thinking I should report it.

[Arkana]

26. Aaaaaand that's why I don't buy Kraft Parmesan "cheese".

[awoke_in_2003]

40. We didn't have much money growing up

One of my favorite comfort foods from the time was spaghetti with butter and the Kraft Parmesan in the green can. Yeah, it's crap, but I still have it from time to time for old time's sake

[jberryhill]

27. How hard is it to grate your own cheese?

[yellowcanine]

28. It is called cheese food product.

Meaning we might have waved an actual piece of cheese over it while processing the sawdust into cheese food product.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

29. The real lesson here

is to buy this:



not this:



When you look at it oz for oz, the block is cheaper, and if stored properly, will last just as long if not longer than the grated crap.

[mainer]

30. Oh for heaven's sake, people. How hard is it to grate your own?

A wedge of real Parmesan cheese keeps forever in the refrigerator.

[trof]

31. Kraft has 3.8% cellulose "to prevent caking".

The label says "100% grated parmesan cheese".
I guess that sounds better than "96.2%...".

[chernabog]

34. The Dairy inudstry is cruel

[freebrew]

35. Doesn't compute...

NO, wood pulp is NOT a cheese substitute.

Look it up. Even Betty Crocker. No mention of subbing wood for cheese.

WTF is wrong with these assholes?

[tabasco]

37. Too much gubmint regulation!

People should have FREEDOM to eat wood pulp!

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

38. We buy real parmesean in a block, and shave it onto our food. Cheese shavings!

[daleo]

42. Blessed are the cheese makers

But not when they use lumber.