Some of Italy's buffalo mozzarella, one of its most prized culinary delicacies, has fallen below standard, authorities said Wednesday after finding traces of cow milk in samples of the cheese.
There is no health risk from the cheese, which should be made solely with buffalo milk, the Agriculture Ministry said.
But the news that it was not all up to par comes as a blow two years after tests at hundreds of Italian mozzarella factories uncovered high levels of dioxin in some samples of buffalo milk, leading some countries to suspend imports.
Agriculture Minister Luca Zaia said the recent case was "commercial fraud." He suspended the head of the consortium of buffalo mozzarella makers in Campania, the southern region where most of the cheese is made.
Zaia has said he wants to crack down on any irregularities in the production of quality foods and wines — both to protect consumers and to safeguard the reputation of Italian products. In 2008 he set up a panel of experts to check the production standards of Brunello di Montalcino, following an investigation into whether some of the wine might have been cut with other grape varieties.
The ministry said about a quarter of the 530 samples of buffalo mozzarella tested by authorities over the course of last year showed traces of cow milk. Some samples were up to 30 percent cow milk, ministry spokesman Giampiero Beltotto.
Buffalo mozzarella is one of Europe's Protected Designation of Origin items, meaning it must have certain quality guarantees and be made according to strict procedures, including using only buffalo milk.
No immediate measures were taken against the cheese producers, though judicial authorities were still investigating, Beltotto said. He said he expected no affect to consumer levels.
About 16 percent of some 33,000 tons of buffalo mozzarella that is produced every year is exported, according to the farming group Coldiretti.
The 2008 dioxin scare cost Campania producers some euro40 million ($57 million), according to the Adoc consumer group.
"Buffalo mozzarella is a typical quality product, one that is exported around the world and needs to be safeguarded," Adoc said in a statement.
