Earlier quoted context omitted.
Typically you don't eat the rind on this kind of cheese.
try me!! What if it gets fed to some pet or farm animal?
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Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
21–30 of 317 posts
Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
#22I am all for trademarks. But 'only things made here can have this name' is silly protectionism. Adding electronics to 'fix fraud' really is just worsening the original product. If this goes through I would prefer the fraudulent stuff over the real deal.
Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
#23You had me at cheese but lost me at blockchain.
Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
try me!! What if it gets fed to some pet or farm animal?
I suppose they might be mistaken for fine Parmesan cheese. Otherwise they’ll be fine. Have you not noticed what your dog will happily eat off the ground when you’re out for a walk? Discarded socks, gravel, bits of plastic, cat shit, gum wrappers, literally anything that catches its eye when you’re not paying close attention.
That's why I feed my dog rusty staples.
Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
#25OT, but I just have to say, as someone who buys "Parmesan" cheese that typically hails from Wisconsin, there is just no comparison with legit Parmigiano-Reggiano. It's the same with "Gruyere" and Gruyère -- a wholly unique cheese with a depth of flavor and character that is just inimitable, no matter how good or faithful the imitation may be.
That being said, I'm not ashamed at all to say that the Parmesan I use most is the $4 wedge from Aldi.
Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
#26I am all for trademarks. But 'only things made here can have this name' is silly protectionism. Adding electronics to 'fix fraud' really is just worsening the original product. If this goes through I would prefer the fraudulent stuff over the real deal.
Are they not, fundamentally, one and the same?
Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
#27I found technical details about the device: https://www.isenet.it/product/pharmaseq-products/ It's tiny (500 microns), passive, photocell-powered (you point a laser at it), and encapsulated in an inert SiO2 coating.
Interesting that it is injected (how deep) yet can still be powered by a laser.
Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
#28How is this considered food safe? Chewing it will definitely break any casing on the device, right? The other thing I'd like to point out is that these can be copied. They aren't like a yubikey which responds to a challenge with an internal asymmetric private key.
Typically you don't eat the rind on this kind of cheese.
Yes, you do. At least, I do, and if you don't I'll be happy to eat yours too. I love Parmigiano. It's not really the reason why I ended up living in Parma, but it's a great coincidence nonetheless.
Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
#29Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
#30How is this considered food safe? Chewing it will definitely break any casing on the device, right? The other thing I'd like to point out is that these can be copied. They aren't like a yubikey which responds to a challenge with an internal asymmetric private key.
Possibly, no. It's apparently encased in silicon dioxide, and I imagine that is the reason. If it's small enough, chewing it will be like chewing a grain of sand. You won't break it. You might swallow it, but doing so is harmless. You wouldn't want to breathe it in, though.