A Bloomberg report found that some grated cheeses have higher-than-expected levels of wood pulp.
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The next time you buy another batch of “100 percent parmesan” cheese, you might need to double-check if the contents match the label.
The Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on companies cutting corners with 100% real Parmesan cheese by using cheap fillers like wood pulp.
In July 2013, it sent the company a warning letter saying it had found “doctored” Parmesan in Castle’s products.
An investigation by the Federal Government discovered what was supposed to be 100% Parmesan cheese was actually wood pulp.
In fact, said the FDA, some of what Castle labeled as “100 percent granted Parmesan” contained “no Parmesan cheese” whatsoever.
USA supermarket chain Jewel-Osco removed all of its Essential Everyday 100% Parmesan Cheese from shelves amid concerns about the use of cellulose, a food additive made from wood. But they’re also meeting consumer demand.
While Whole Foods’ 365 Everyday Value Cheese do not include cellulose in the list of ingredients on its label, testing showed that the product had 0.3 percent of the additive.
Spokespeople for Kraft Heinz, Walmart, Jewel-Osco, Target, and Whole Foods each questioned Bloomberg’s findings, but they assured reporters their companies were most definitely “investigating” or at least “looking into” this matter.
“In addition, your parmesan cheese products do not contain any parmesan cheese”.
“Our supplier of the Parmesan cheese is aware of the issue, and we look forward to learning more about their investigation”, she said.
Cellulose is used by companies to give texture to the product.
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The most egregious offender among the cheesy con artists was Castle, which manufactured fraudulent cheese for three decades before filing for bankruptcy in 2014. Just in case you’re concerned, cellulose isn’t absorbed by digestion and the FDA has deemed it safe for human consumption.
