Packaging

[supergee]

“100% cheese” doesn’t have to be 100% cheese

Thanx to andrewducker

Comments

[johnpalmer]

I dunno - additives in tiny quantities seem like a fair thing. If the ingredients are "Parmesan cheese and cellulose to prevent caking" then if I was on the jury, "well, we didn't *charge* them for the cellulose" would be a fair defense... if the additives were less than 1%, in fact, I'd feel "okay, so we rounded up!" would be an absolute defense.

Now, if it was cheese, and 5% nutritional yeast (because the latter was cheaper and didn't make a major change to the flavor), then I'd say that the label was fraudulent. And yeah, the court is suggesting a ruling contrary to reality, but remember, it's a legal doctrine. It was decided that tomatoes were legally a vegetable because of their uses - they are used like vegetables, so it's fair to assume the legislature wanted them taxed like vegetables - that, while humorous, is still a decent *legal* decision. It means the law is sometimes stone-cold stupid, but that's because it's in the service of the people - 'nuff said.

[arlie]

Drat this interface - when I try to reply to a specific comment, my reply generally attaches to the overall post. See below.

Defining

[marahmarie]

That's not what this is, so they need to amend and refile the lawsuit, because I'm tired of paying good money for crap:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-16/the-parmesan-cheese-you-sprinkle-on-your-penne-could-be-wood

Cellulose is a safe additive, and an acceptable level is 2 percent to 4 percent, according to Dean Sommer, a cheese technologist at the Center for Dairy Research in Madison, Wisconsin. Essential Everyday 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, from Jewel-Osco, was 8.8 percent cellulose, while Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s Great Value 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese registered 7.8 percent, according to test results. Whole Foods 365 brand didn’t list cellulose as an ingredient on the label, but still tested at 0.3 percent. Kraft had 3.8 percent.

Kraft has 3.8% cellulose, and while that falls under the first sentence's vague and unsourced assertion that "an acceptable level" falls in the 2-4% range, Kraft is so bland I don't usually buy it. That leaves me to choose from other brands or store labels that might have even higher amounts of cellulose.

Not to mention "parmesan" is an entirely meaningless name: http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/08/best-parmesan-cheese-parmigiano-reggiano-labeling.html

In sharp contrast, Parmesan cheese in the United States and Argentina, another major knockoff producer, must abide by no such rules. It can be made from milk of any quality, age, or provenance. There is no aging requirement, or really any requirements at all—domestic Parmesan is not even vaguely defined as a particular type or style of cheese.

So it's just cellulose-stuffed "Well, it's a cheese" cheese!