Cheese, Glorious Cheese! Italian Government Gives the Gift of Cheese but with a Twist

Christmas is more than just shopping and presents. Many people enjoy selfless acts of giving to needy families during the holiday season in small ways. Well, the Italians are also giving this season, but in a rather cheesy fashion.

For years, Christmas and the holiday season is synonymous with decorations, music, festivities and for many, the giving of gifts. In Italy, the government has devised a plan to help give to those less fortunate while boosting their faltering cheese industry. According to an article in Newsweek, the Italian Agriculture Minister, Luca Zaia, made a commitment to purchase some 100,000 wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano cheese at market price, double their regular acquisition, and donate it to those who are less fortunate. Each wheel is roughly 66 pounds, or 30 kilos, of the iconic cheese and is said to be valued at around the equivalent of $66 million US. Thats about 50 million Euros! Cheese producers have seen a 25 percent drop in prices over the past five years, according a representative of the dairy farmers in Italy. This drop was being attributed to:

The producers faced pressure from distributors who offer sharp discounts on the grateable cheeses to lure shoppers into supermarkets

Giorgio Apostoli stated that although the government's actions doesn't "resolve the problem," it did provide help and he went on to explain that in Italy "This is a crisis of pricing, not of consumption." Consumption of Parmigiano Padano has only slightly dropped in the last year but Grana Pdano has actually increased in consumption. In 2008 under the EU program that allocates food for the poor, Italy was provided over 66 million Euros. In 2009, they are providing nearly 130 million Euros to the poor. A sprinkling of some holiday cheer, Italian style!