Italy: Origin of Parmesan producers threatened

Italian producers are sounding the alarm bell. For the first time in 2014, the production of false Parmesan exceeded that of Parmigiano Reggiano. This is one of the most copied cheese world.

This unfair competition results in lower prices paid to producers of controlled origin Parmesan. He declined last year by 20%, from 9.12 euro in January 2014 to 7.31 euros in late December.

"These losses of € 60 billions are fewer jobs, less savings, less quality and health guarantees our plates" says one producer

This puts at risk an industry that weighs about four billion euros in revenue. Exports are falling. And many small production units close, already one in four in 2007.

That is why in Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna, the region where the famous cheese is produced, it is the children recite the lesson: there is only one true Parmesan!