Image: Tommaso Razzolini Facebook
Tommaso Razzolini, a member of the regional parliaments of the Veneto region, posted on Facebook a picture of a yellow packet of Chinese mozzarella with pictures of Venice’s Rialto Bridge and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The cheese is made in Austria by a Chinese company, says the pack, which features Chinese characters, images of some of Italy’s most famous monuments and the words “European Mozzarella Cheese.” “This appears to be another case of counterfeiting to the detriment of Italian food quality. This is also about exploiting the image of Venice,” protested Razzolini, who reported the product to the Italian Ministry of Agriculture. The image of Chinese mozzarella made the rounds on social media.
“It is a counterfeit product”
“The fictional ‘European mozzarella’ consists of several thin slices which, according to the packaging, are said to be made in Austria by a company based in China,” explained Razzolini. There were no more details. Symbols of Venice should not be associated with products of dubious origin. This is an affront to Italian food production.
“It’s difficult to determine who posted the picture first, but one thing is clear: it’s a counterfeit product that has nothing to do with real mozzarella. Many of the monuments depicted in the foreground are Venetian: the Grand Canal, a gondola and the Rialto Bridge. These are monuments that everyone knows and that are used to sell a rather questionable mozzarella,” the regional parliamentarian continued.
For years Rome has been fighting to protect its national product “Parmigiano”
Italy has been trying to protect typical regional products for some time. For years, Rome has been fighting to protect its national product, Parmigiano. According to a study by the Coldiretti agricultural association, the well-known cheese with different names is “counterfeited” in Austria, Germany, France, the USA, Australia and even Japan.
Although the European Court of Justice in June 2002 prohibited the use of the name Parmesan for counterfeits of “Parmigiano Reggiano”, the counterfeit business is flourishing. The counterfeit industry is a fraud on consumers all over the world, emphasizes the Italian agricultural association Coldiretti. He warns against websites where you can buy counterfeit Italian cheeses made in the United States.
Source: Nachrichten
