Italian Cheese Industry Hit Hard by Quake
We heard yesterday that many wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano were casualties in Sunday's magnitude 6.0 earthquake that rocked northern Italy. Here's an update from The Huffington Post on the losses sustained:
In terms of economic impact, the artisanal cheese sector appears to be the hardest hit. At least 10 percent of Parmesan production has been impacted, according to early estimates by the Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese Consortium, which annually generates (EURO)1.2 million in production revenues and (EURO)1.9 billion in consumer sales.
In all, some 10 collective Parmesan aging warehouse and cheese production sites have sustained damage in the quake, affecting 300,000 wheels, half of which are estimated to be at least a partial loss.
"The fallen forms in some cases can certainly be recovered and moved to another warehouse to finish aging," consortium spokesman Igino Morini said. Partially damaged wheels may be salvaged for mixed cheese products or prepackaged foods – at a fraction of their value as fully aged Parmigiano-Reggiano.
