How Grating: There's Wood In Your Parmesan And Romano Cheeses

Jul 31, 2023

Who knew? Grated Parmesan and Romano cheeses can contain wood pulp.

Add grated Parmesan and Romano cheeses to the growing list of adulterated food products that you may have in your home pantry.

Bloomberg News had an independent laboratory test some popular brands of store-bought grated cheese to learn how much wood pulp each contained. Wood pulp, which is also known on ingredient labels as cellulose, is a safe, fairly common additive that prevents clumping. However, a number of the cheeses tested exceeded the somewhat vague industry standard for cellulose, which Italian cheese importer Neil Schuman of Arthur Schuman Inc. identified as between two and four percent.

According to Bloomberg :

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.

Schuman, whose 45-year-old company is the nation’s largest seller of hard Italian cheeses, has taken a public stand on grated cheese fraud, telling Bloomberg, “We’re often not even competing against cheese. Time and again we find grated “Parmesan” and “Romano” available on the market that only partially consists of real cheese. The rest most often includes cellulose, imitation cheeses, potato starch and analog cheese.”

Schuman estimates that one-fifth of America’s grated hard cheese production has been adulterated.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has come down hard on at least one company for adulterated grated cheese. In 2012, the Castle Cheese Company was found to be selling “100 percent grated parmesan” made from imitation cheese, fillers and trimmings from less expensive cheeses like Swiss and Cheddar, which allowed Castle to earn greater profit margins. The investigation forced Castle into bankruptcy and its president, Michelle Myter, has agreed to probation and $1 million in restitution and forfeitures.

However, in a 2015 essay for Dairy Foods, Schuman alleged that this type of fraudulent activity is a widespread problem:

In a recent random sampling of dry grated cheeses for sale at retailers in Wisconsin, we found “Parmesan” canisters that had more than 25% cellulose in them, and others that were two-thirds carbohydrates. And according to recent tests, this problem is even more pronounced in the foodservice and ingredient channels.

As the category leader, we feel a responsibility to address this condition. It’s fraud and it’s illegal. And it’s undermining the market for real cheese.

Adulterating food to boost profits is a common problem throughout the world. In 2013, the Grocery Manufacturers Association estimated that food fraud cost the international food industry between $10-$15 billion each year, impacting 10% of all commercial food products.

Olive oil and honey are two of the most frequently adulterated foods. In November 2015, seven top olive oil companies in Italy were under investigation for marketing lower-quality virgin olive oil as extra-virgin.

In 2011, Food Safety News tested 60 containers of honey purchased in stores in 10 states and the District of Columbia. The testing found that over three-fourths of the honey they purchased, “isn’t exactly what the bees produce.”

Other foods that have been frequently found to be adulterated include orange juice, coffee, milk, apple juice and tea.

Fortunately, when it comes to grated Parmesan and Romano, there's an easy way to avoid adulterated products. Buy a slice of Parmesan or Romano and grate it yourself.