Food fraud hits one of Italy’s most famous products, raising questions about EU’s geographical rules

Food fraud allegations have hit one of Europe’s most renowned foods — Parma ham. An investigation into one of the world’s highest-quality hams is raising questions about the EU’s ability to prevent fake luxury products, Politico reports.

Geographical indications (GIs) are meant to protect the EU’s most precious food and drink, from Champagne and Cognac to Roquefort cheese and Parmigiano Reggiano. Both the means of production — often artisanal and time-honoured — and the location must remain the same in order to qualify.

Parma ham is one of Italy’s most cherished specialties and one of the most famous GI brands. In order to bear the name Parma, the ham must be produced in accordance with a stringent rule book, using Italian pork leg and sea salt. The city of Parma is also the home of true Parmesan.

“Parma ham is one of the archetypal geographical indications out there, along with Champagne,” Graham Dutfield, a professor at the U.K.’s University of Leeds, told Politico. “This shows how strictly you have to enforce this regime.”

Italy is the EU’s top seller of protected foods, with Germany and France rounding out the top three. Just the Parma ham industry is worth €750 million ($1.1 billion) a year, Politico reports. GIs are big business — and with commercial value comes counterfeiting. “A successful GI is one where there is a high price and good demand. But the high demand can also give rise to corruption,” Dutfield told Politico. “There is no real formal system of examination..”

Parma and Prosciutto di San Daniele producers have been charged with importing pig sperm from Denmark in an attempt to breed leaner pigs — which would in turn provide a more lucrative meat. In order to be called Parma ham, the meat must come from pure, Italian stock. Italy’s food police unit collected DNA samples from pigs in 30 farms and slaughterhouses in northern Italy earlier this year; fraud investigations are ongoing.

“The effectiveness of Europe’s lucrative GIs is based on the fundamental premise that producers play by the rules,” Politico reports. “In the case of Italian ham, that is now in serious doubt.” The official Parma logo on the skins of hams. Italy is investigating suspected fraudulent use of the logo.