The worldwide scare over dangerous dioxin levels in mozzarella di bufala cheese was defined: a storm in a teacup by agronomist Gennaro Testa of the Consorzio per la Tutela del Formaggio Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, during a visit by foreign press journalists to the Caserta area of the Campania region, centre of the production of one of Italys best known gastronomic products.
The trip, organized by some of the major water buffalo breeders and cheese-makers of the Campania region, aimed to reassure members of the world press that the alleged health hazards had been exaggerated out of all proportion. In fact, mozzarella di bufala campana is a certified DOP product, subject to rigid quality controls, from the cowshed to the marketplace. Regular health checks include the animal feed (composed of natural cereal and seed products) and frequent analyses of the milk and the finished cheese, which must be sold in sealed, airtight packaging.
There are 131 certified dairy farms producing DOP buffalo mozzarella. 90% are in the provinces of Caserta and Salerno. The remainder are in southern Lazio, Apulia and Molise. Milk for the cheese is provided by 1900 breeding farms in the DOP area
Buffalo milk cheese is big business. Last year, 35,000 tons of mozzarella di bufala campana was produced, for a total gross turnover of some 300 million. 16% of this was exported, mainly to France, Germany, Britain, the USA and Switzerland.
Alfredo Iemma, owner of the model Torre Lupara buffalo farm and leader in mozzarella di bufalo campana production, complained that producers had suffered unfairly from a negative press, due to a misrepresentation of the rubbish disposal crisis in the Campania region.
Our area is one of the most fertile farming areas in the entire country and there are absolutely no dumps around here, legal or otherwise,he pointed out. The problem is confined to some of the outlying townships and suburbs on the outskirts of Naples. We have been unjustly penalised by inaccurate and scaremongering reports. Our cheese is a top quality product, rightly appreciated by gourmets the world over and this is the way it will remain!
(Margaret Stenhouse).
