Thought your posh cheese was made from real milk? Think again

After chocolate without cocoa and wine without grapes big business is making cheese without milk says Slow Food boss. But not in our Italian backyard!

Slow Food on Powdered Milk in Cheese: Italian ban must be kept, and extended to other EU countries

The European Commission has sent an official letter to Italy asking for it to abolish the national law banning the use of "milk powder, condensed milk and reconstituted milk" in the manufacture of dairy products.

According to Brussels, Italy must conform to the European regulations that allow these ingredients, and the current Italian law prohibiting these milk surrogates represents a "restriction on the free movement of goods."

In Slow Food’s opinion, this imposition is not only wrong and detrimental to the protection of biodiversity, but Italy should in fact become an example for quality European cheesemaking. Says Slow Food "We need to work towards greater awareness at a European level, with the aim of bringing the laws of other countries in line with the Italian legislation."

"We hope that the Italian government will defend this law," said Piero Sardo, the president of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity. "After the chocolate without cocoa butter and the wine without grapes, big business is now trying to attack another key sector of the Italian food industry, with a race to the bottom."

"If this new demand is accepted, Italy’s quality dairy sector, already crushed by too-low milk prices and the challenges facing those who farm in the mountains, will suffer severe consequences. "

Slow Food has been fighting for years to promote raw-milk cheeses, mountain cheesemaking, traditional techniques and native breeds. Its commitment dates back to the first edition of Cheese, in 1997, when it began gathering signatures on a petition in favor of raw milk, which was then delivered to the European institutions.

Says Mr Sardo: "Quality artisan producers from around Europe will be in Bra this September to join us in the fight against this latest absurdity and to work towards the Italian example being extended to the rest of Europe."

Cheese 2015, held in Bra from September 18 to 21, will be an essential event for anyone who cares about Europe’s heritage of quality cheeses and dairy products.

Valere Tjolle

@ValereTjolle

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