Police in Campania on Monday
arrested 13 people and seized a company for allegedly making
unsafe doctored mozzarella di bufala, the southern region's
prized gourmet cheese.
Police also impounded six stores belonging to cheesemaker
Cantile di Sparanise, which police accuse of diluting
top-quality water-buffalo milk with imported cow milk in the
production of the soft cheese.
Health officials said in addition to duping customers, the
adulterated product posed health risks, containing 2,000 times
the recommended bacteria limit.
Investigators said two health inspectors were in cahoots
with managers at the cheesemaker, alerting them when outside
inspectors from bodies such as the European Union were planning
an inspection.
Authorities discovered the adulterated product after a
worker at the factory lost his fingers on one of the machines,
which police said had a safety feature removed to enable faster
production.
"Scandals like this create enormous damage for our country
and the Italian brand," said a statement from consumer group
Codacons.
Farmers' association Coldiretti said the case tarnishes the
image and ultimately harms the 1,500 water-buffalo dairy farms
in the region around Naples.
Used to top pizzas and make caprese salads, mozzarella di
buffala is a 435-million-euro business in Campania, with 71
million euros coming from exports, added Coldiretti.
The consortium that protects authentic makers of mozzarella
di buffala in the region announced after the arrests that the
company's membership had been revoked two years ago.
However the company continued to use the consortium's seal
of approval pending a decision from the agriculture ministry.
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