Comments from Giorgio Iragi, Perugia, Retired Neuro Surgeon

The European Union, in its collective wisdom, recently issued a disposition that parmigiano can be produced anywhere, and sold under the generic name (or "parmesan", if translated).

Parmigiano, of course derives its name from the city of Parma, in Northern Italy, 
and it's been so for centuries, together with prosciutto (raw but seasoned pork's meat, specifically the thigh *) a main staple of that town's industry and economy. 

Its production not according to their original, very high standards can be more economical, but undoubtly gives a product that's not up to par as to quality - yet,
it might have a wider sale in other countries because of the lower price, with substantial damage to the export from Italy.

The same wisdom (?)  has been applied to other typical Italian products, especially the cheeses: all Italian high-seasoned and blue ones, like gorgonzola, taleggio, pecorino (cheese from sheep milk), etc. are under threat of prohibition of production, being considered as not "hygienically safe". 

It has been decreed, by the same source, that even mozzarella, that main ingredient of pizza, can be produced in other countries. From what I understand, Sweden and Norway (!!!) are already gearing up for its production. I guess they'll use reindeer's milk...:)

There's never been a recorded case of disease caused by any of these Italian cheeses. My family and I have forever been steady consumers of all of these products.

This campaign against Italian products has been pushed by the French, who 
however have seen to it that no such danger should be prospected for their brie, camembert, chamois d'or, etc., that are produced by methods that are strictly similar. 

I guess the English cheese stilton is similarly favoured. The French have been followed in the vote, of course, by all other member countries, that find very convenient they should be allowed to put out products that are competitive only 
as far as the label.

The authorities for food of the EU have also gone to the absurdity of issuing regulations about the size, shape and curvature of the pods of any variety of kidney beans and the number of seeds they can contain, establishing 4 or 5 categories for each of these vegetables, with consequent prices.. Maybe farmers will have to set up soft X-ray machines to assess how many seeds each hull contains... Same rules for the size and diameter of apricots, peaches, etc., and the curvature of bananas (not that there's European countries that can grow dna bring these to maturation...).

The French are the same who, in their production of their much-vaunted wines and champagnes, find it necessary - to give them the necessary alcohol gradation - to import the very robust wines from our southern region of Puglia, where the reds are known to reach even 18-20 percent. 

At the same time, they are very anxious that every wine labelled as champagne should be strictly from France, and from the region of the same name, centered about Rheims (and, Bordeaux for the red wines).

We Italians have gone around the problem by calling our bubblies, spumante (sparkling). And believe me, we have a production to envy, so if one of these days you'll decide to give a party, try a Berlucchi, or a Ferrari (yes, same name as the car's). They're superb, and much lighter on the wallet.

Besides this opposition by the French, we also have have an in-built problem: the attitude of our delegates to the E.U. Not only are they outvoted, but they also have an attitude: some years ago, it became known they had refused to go up to Bruxelles, or Strasbourg, or whatever, to defend Italian  products, because they didn't consider the hotels they had been assigned to as enough deluxe enough for them. So, on that occasion (I'm unsure of the category of products was on the agenda), Italy was not represented....

* The corresponding part from the forelimb of the pig is called spalla (shoulder), and it's cheaper.