Fontina, one of the most copied cheeses in the world

Fontina is in good company, with other Italian cheeses of excellence, in the not very comforting ranking of the most “faked” products.
Along with the reassuring news that Made in Italy cheese exports grew by 7.5% during the Covid period, The 5.1% average growth in exports of the agri-food sector (Ismea-Qualivita Report) is also highlighted by the very bad habit of copying the names of our cheeses abroad, clumsily mimicking even their appearance and taste and olfactory characteristics.
For certain qualities of cheese, the production of “copies” has even surpassed that of the originals. The cheeses most affected by “plagiarism”? From Parmigiano Reggiano to Grana Padano, but also Provolone, Robiola, Gorgonzola, Pecorino Romano, Asiago and, of course, Fontina from Valle d'Aosta.
In the United States, for example, some large producers, with the help of Italian cheesemakers, are reproducing Fontina and Parmesan, backed by huge amounts of milk at their disposal and gigantic production facilities. To hear them tell it, the battle of Italian producers is difficult to sustain in a country where PDOs, the products with the EU protected designation of origin, have no value. And so imitations are born. While the notion that only successful products are copied is valid, which for Fontina is undoubtedly a source of pride, the economic damage for those who, like the Consorzio Produttori e Tutela della DOP Fontina, work to defend a specification, is undoubtedly considerable.

Not only copies abroad: threats to Fontina also come from Italy

The production of cheeses very similar to Fontina, abroad, especially in non-European countries not required to comply with the PDO, places on the market a cheese whose tone and production cycle are very different from those of Fontina PDO. These cheeses are different in many respects, starting from the raw milk used to the craftsmanship of the production cycle. To finish with the unique peculiarities given by the characteristics of the production area.

The most long-standing problem facing the Fontina PDO Consortium, however, is the internal threatsby those who, for example, in Italy produce and sell an entirely similar cheese to Fontina PDO constitutes a far more alarming threat than the “big producers” in Wisconsin who, in any case, can compete with Fontina exports in the USA, but not on the Italian market or the EU market in general. Purchasing awareness thus becomes important, since consumer choice is the first major element of selection between those who respect the rules and those who take shortcuts by imitating recognised and protected products. .

How to recognise Fontina and be wary of growing imitations

Fontina is a cheese with precise and identifiable characteristics: its consistency varies between soft and semi-hard, depending on the seasoning period. Its dough is particularly elastic, easily melting in the mouth. The internal colour of the cheese is generally straw-coloured and varies considerably depending on the time of year, as the cows are fed.
A special feature, then, is the presence of fairly sparse eyes, but clearly visible. Its flavour is sweet, full and particularly pleasant. The rind is compact and has various shades of brown, from lighter to darker for the more mature cheeses.
Already, with these characteristics, it is easy to understand how it is not easy to produce a faithful “copy” to the original, also because of certain characteristics strongly linked to the place of production. If an organoleptic assessment were not enough, in any case, every Fontina cheese has marks of origin stamped on the wheels bearing the acronym CTF (Consorzio Tutela Fontina) with an identification number of the producer, as well as the casein plate with which all the wheels are progressively numbered. Therefore of a selection marking, i.e. a mark stamped in indelible ink on one of the sides of the wheel attesting to the Fontina PDO designation following the passing of strict quality controls. And finally a cash on sale, a veil, positioned on the side opposite that of the trade mark, previously authorised by the Protection Consortium.

However close they may come, the growing copies will always lack these features which, before the producers, protect the consumers themselves.