Changes in Production Practices, Trade, and Quality Assessment of Protected Designation of Origin Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese From XIX To XXI Century

The first known formal assessment of Parmigiano-Reggiano quality dates back to 1867 and was done by a commercial company to promote trade. In 1934, the Consortium, a collective organization of producers, introduced controls to improve market image by using a mark of quality. Beginning in 1954, and continuing after the PDO recognition by the European Union in 1992, the government became an actor in the qualification process of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Evolution and changes in the quality control of Parmigiano-Reggiano were influenced more by the demands of the trade than by changes in production practices due to the modernization of the process.