WORLD Italian cheesemakers microchip parmesan in bid to fight copycats BY EMMET LYONS

AUGUST 18, 2023 / 11:45 AM / CBS NEWS

One of the world's most famous cheeses is also one of the most counterfeited dairy products on the planet.

Competing manufacturers have for years produced cheaper imitations of Italy's parmigiano reggiano, a favored topping for pasta and salad.

FILE PHOTO: A storage area for Parmesan cheese wheels is pictured at storehouse shelf at 4 Madonne Caseificio dell'Emilia dairy cooperative in Modena A storage area for Parmesan cheese wheels is pictured at storehouse shelf at 4 Madonne Caseificio dell'Emilia dairy cooperative in Modena, Italy, February 16 2016. ALESSANDRO BIANCHI / REUTERS Now, the producers of parmigiano reggiano say they have innovated a way to prevent any pretenders from ripping off their product.

Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium (PRC), the association that oversees production of the cheese, says it has been putting microchips in its product as part of a technological trial which would allow consumers to trace parmesan cheese back to its place of origin.

Under special protections designated by the European Union, parmigiano reggiano is the only kind of cheese which can be called parmesan within Europe and it must be made in a small part of northern Italy, including in the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia.

PRC are hopeful that their new technology will help to enforce that protected status. Their microchips are about the size of a grain of salt and have been inserted into the labels found on the rind of about 120,000 wheels of parmigiano reggiano. The chips work as scannable food tags with a QR code label (link)