Italian Earthquake Cheese Sell Out

Thousands citizens support the recovery of North Italy’s economy after the devastating earthquakes last May by buying products from the affected areas.
 
The earthquakes have brought over 860 million dollars worth of damage to the agricultural and food sector, according to Coldiretti, the main agricultural association in Italy.

The most affected are some of the well known “Made in Italy” products like the cheeses “Parmigiano Reggiano” and “Grana Padano,” as well as the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

Tons of cheese have fallen to the ground and risk going bad in cheese-producing dairies after the collapse of structures containing the cheese for seasoning.

All kinds of initiatives promoting the sale of cheese recovered from the earthquake have emerged to help the affected producers from the earthquake zone.

[Sara Paraluppi, Coldiretti Coordinator]:
“The requests have been enormous. In 4, 5 days over 20 thousand requests for cheese have come at a national level. Not only from individuals but also from institutions, from the state police, from many ministries.”

Agricultural products from the earthquake zone are now available throughout the country.

[Consumer]:
“One can make a contribution. Also the price is good - everything is good. It is not even an expense, it is an opportunity to help them.”

While the case of the seasoned cheese is almost over, the difficulty now is with the newly produced cheese and with the milk that cows produce each day.

[Alessio Scalas, Economy Manager, Coldiretti Emilia Romagna]:
“The problem with the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese that is more than twelve months old is pretty much resolved. But there remains the problem with the product that has not yet become “Parmigiano Reggiano,”  namely 9 -10 months old, that now faces the problem of where to store it.”

The zone hit by the earthquake accounts for ten percent of total agricultural output in Italy.

NTD News, Rome, Italy