A Piece of Parmesan Is Worth a Lot

FavorFlav selects the most remarkable food news every day.

Bonds Backed by Parmesan

The Italian cheese producer 4 Madonne has issued bonds backed by Parmesan as collateral. For small businesses, it is an easy way to attract investment. Since the recession, entrepreneurs have not been able to rely on banks, so they have come up with creative ideas instead. The money will be invested, among other things, in the factory and in improving the cheese from Emilia Romagna. People who buy the cheese bonds will receive five percent interest until the cheeses are ripe in 2022.

Vegan Ben & Jerry’s

Issues with dairy or are you vegan? Then there is something nice on the market now: Ben & Jerry’s made with almond milk. According to the reviews, it is somewhat less tasty than the real deal, but some flavors, such as P.B Cookies, are simply very good. Chunky Monkey fares much worse, with reviews such as: “fake taste” and “just yuck”. It is not yet clear when the ice cream will be available in Dutch supermarkets. Given the increasing number of people avoiding dairy, this will probably not take much longer.

Fraud Involving Italian Olives

Olive oil, mozzarella and now fraud involving olives. It has happened again in Italy. The Italian police have seized 85,000 tons of olives that had been treated with copper sulfate. This toxic substance makes olives that have lost their color look much greener and fresher again. Eating these olives can lead to nausea, vomiting and, in some cases, even death. Nineteen people will be prosecuted for this large-scale food fraud.

Sources: CNBC, Popsugar, De Volkskrant
Image: Shutterstock