Trump’s war on Parmigiano Reggiano

Spend enough time in the kitchen and you ll learn which luxury ingredients are worth their salt Parmigiano Reggiano is one of them Reliable rich and impossible to fake You don t need a microplane or a pasta machine to know its worth even a humble buttered noodle is elevated by a curl of the real stuff It s nutty and crystalline aged for years in northern Italy and legally protected from imitation down to the cows diet and the wheels signature rind stamp That revealed loving Parmigiano Reggiano doesn t mean you have to hate American parmesan There are very good domestic cheeses on the region Sartori s SarVecchio comes to mind that offer plenty of flavor at a friendlier price point But they are not substitutes not really regardless of how much President Donald Trump would prefer you buy from Wisconsin Related American cheese has invariably been enough During his second term Trump enacted a sweeping series of protective tariffs targeting nearly all goods imported into the United States From January to April the average applied U S tariff rate skyrocketed from to an estimated the highest level in over a century The aim according to the administration was to spur domestic production and reduce commerce deficits But for imported luxury staples like Parmigiano Reggiano the impact has been a slow steady climb in shelf price and a growing anxiety among American importers retailers and cheese lovers alike In April Trump imposed an additional tariff on European imports raising the total duty on Parmigiano Reggiano from the longstanding to the current The timing was strategic just ahead of the summer buying cycle when demand for Italian goods tends to spike For the Consortium that governs and protects Parmigiano Reggiano s PDO status this wasn t just a pact story It was an existential one So it was notable if not a little theatrical when the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium issued a press release in July reminding the world that tariffs be damned the United States remained its single largest export area In alone more than tons of Parmigiano Reggiano were shipped to the U S a increase over the year prior And American retail sales Up in the first four months of The implication was clear Americans still want their Parm We need your help to stay independent Subscribe the present day to assistance Salon s progressive journalism Behind the scenes though the numbers were perhaps less about appetite and more about anticipation Starting late last year U S distributors had reportedly begun quietly stockpiling inventory ahead of expected price hikes In March when rumors of new tariffs began to swirl sell-in volumes from producers spiked practically overnight The Consortium framed this as a sign of resilience but a sign of a field preparing to weather an increasingly volatile relationship between politics and parmesan And the Consortium has not been passive In the past year it has pursued a flurry of unusually American moves to secure its stake in the U S domain particular diplomatic specific culinary specific surprisingly sporty First came the Parmigiano Reggiano Academy a traveling cheese seminar for agreement professionals Launched in early the project offers customized training for grocery buyers restaurant suppliers and specialty food staff transforming them into full-fledged ambassadors of Parm So far over employees across global chains have completed the initiative including a growing number in the U S with a goal to double that figure by the end of the year Then came the Jets In a twist that could only make sense in the current era of branded tailgates and cheese-as-lifestyle marketing the Consortium disclosed a multi-year partnership with the New York Jets yes the NFL crew as part of its broader push to maintain brand visibility The campaign includes Parmigiano-branded tailgates in-stadium media tastings social media collaborations and a presence across the Jets platforms and at MetLife Stadium The goal it seems is to make sure American consumers still associate Parmigiano Reggiano with celebration even if it now costs more than a bottle of prosecco Want more great food writing and recipes Sign up for Salon s free food newsletter The Bite If the Consortium s tailgate play reads as a little surreal its official stance is anything but With the opening of our New York-based corporation in July we ve established a constant and direct presence in the U S noted Nicola Bertinelli president of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium Moving forward we must invest even more in growing international markets starting with the U S which represents the future of our PDO We are not pleased by the possibility of new tariffs but Parmigiano Reggiano is a premium product We will do everything in our power to prevent rising prices from significantly reducing consumption Bertinelli is adamant that this isn t about protecting European prestige it s about acknowledging field reality Parmigiano Reggiano is not in real competition with U S -made parmesan he noted It represents less than of the hard cheese realm and sells at nearly twice the price American consumers who choose Parmigiano Reggiano are making a conscious informed decision He added that increasing tariffs wouldn t bolster domestic cheesemakers so much as penalize Americans already willing to spend a little more for something distinct Everyone would lose His appeal is less an argument than an invitation to keep talking keep tasting and trust that a cheese aged for years has enough patience to outlast one or two presidencies Whether the average shopper agrees remains to be seen But for now the Consortium seems determined to hold the line wheel by wheel tailgate by tailgate Read more from this writer The secret to the perfect tomato soup is hiding in the olive bar You re cooking with one onion You should be cooking with four Want sky-high biscuits Treat them like croissants The post Trump s war on Parmigiano Reggiano appeared first on Salon com