CHEESE 2021, THE PARMIGIANO REGGIANO CONSORTIUM INTRODUCES ITS NEW ACTIVITIES WITH A COMMON OBJECTIVE: STRENUOUSLY PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY

Biodiversity, long maturation time and training are key to the initiatives that will be presented at the largest international event dedicated to raw milk cheese and to the shapes of milk, in Bra from 17 to 20 September

Reggio Emilia, 15 July 2021 – From 17 to 20 September Cheese, the largest international event dedicated to raw milk cheese and to the shapes of milk, is back. The thirteenth edition of the two-year initiative organised by the city of Bra and Slow Food, which has always been a pioneer in the quality dairy sector, opens in the name of an imperative: strenuously protecting biodiversity, starting from the valuable fundamental microorganisms to determine the uniqueness and quality of every type of cheese. And once again cheese is the perfect representative of a true, tangible, effective and implementable form of environmental transition, as well as evidence of an avantgarde sentiment that is rooted in the solid and millennial relationship between humans, animals and the environment.

This is certainly the best framework for the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium to present to a large audience the activities it is carrying out on the topic of biodiversity. Starting from the “Mountain Product – Consortium’s Quality Project”, that establishes an additional quality assessment to be carried out after twenty-four months of maturation with the aim of supporting the value of cheese produced in the mountains, offering consumers additional quality guarantees besides that of origin, and increasing sustainability to mountain development. Parmigiano Reggiano is indeed the most important PDO mountain product: in 2020 more than 20% of the entire PDO production, about 826,000 wheels, took place in** 89 mountain dairies** and more than 1,100 breeders produce 400,000 tons of milk every year. A very valuable activity from the social point of view to keep the Apennines between Bologna and Parma active thanks to work in the forage fields and in the dairies.

The “40 months” Premium Project will then follow featuring a type of maturation (indeed 40 months) that is crumbly, extremely soluble and with a strong personality, which is highly appreciated and used by chefs from all over the world as an ingredient to give a touch of umami to their dishes. The Project starts from the supply side with an incentive to dairies to keep the wheels produced on the shelves of their maturation rooms so that they won’t end up on the market too early.

Last but not least, the Consortium will present its **Parmelier **project, the tasting course for all (chefs, consumers and industry players) to get to know better the Italians’ favourite PDO cheese. The course that is starting in September includes a cycle of classes in presence with tastings and sensory analysis classes dedicated to the various aspects of tasting. The first scheduled events are taking place in Milan, Rome, Bologna and Turin.