Your Parmesan May Have Wood Pulp

Instead, companies are using fillers like cellulose which is made from wood pulp and stops cheese from clumping.

In July 2013, it sent the company a warning letter saying it had found “doctored” Parmesan in Castle’s products. Because the FDA has focused on potential health hazards over labeling issues, it’s reasonable to suspect there might be other fraudulent cheeses in supermarket aisles.

The results of cellulose found in cheese labeled 100 percent Parmesan from Walmart Stores’ Great Value 100 percent Grated Parmesan Cheese was 7.8 percent, Jewl-Osco’s Essential Everyday 100 percent Grated Parmesan Cheese was 8.8 percent, the Whole Foods 365 brand contained 0.3 percent cellulose and Kraft had 3.8 percent.

The next time you buy another batch of “100 percent parmesan” cheese, you might need to double-check if the contents match the label.

The FDA said it takes economic fraud seriously. “Consumers are innocent, and they’re not getting what they bargained for”. They are trying to cut corners to make money. There have been reports of olive oil not being the real thing, fish, and even lobster fraud. Products that were named included Aunt Jemima Original Syrup, Cinnabon Snack Bars Original, Weight Watchers English Toffee Crunch Ice Cream Bar, Pillsbury Buffalo Chicken Crescent Pastry Puffs, the Jimmy Dean Frozen Breakfast Bowl, McDonald’s Premium Southwest Salad With Grilled Chicken, and, of course, cheeses (pre-shredded and otherwise) used at major fast-food outlets such as McDonald’s, Jack in the Box, and Wendy’s.

Target says Castle Cheese was not an authorized vendor, but it too is investigating. Bloomberg News said the investigation led to the company filing for bankruptcy in 2014. Just in case you’re concerned, cellulose isn’t absorbed by digestion and the FDA has deemed it safe for human consumption.

It’s used in all sorts of food products to extend shelf life and block out moisture.