In this week's edition of cheese-related atrocities: A Food and Drug Administration inspection has determined that you may have unknowingly been sprinkling wood shavings on your spaghetti and meatballs, according to Bloomberg News.
The culprit in this cheese faux pas was a Pennsylvania-based company called Castle Cheese Inc. The FDA determined that the company's "100 percent Parmesan cheese" included such fillers as wood pulp, cellulose, and cheddar ? but no actual Parmesan. The company's president is scheduled to plead guilty to criminal charges this month and could get a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
Bloomberg also conducted its own tests of store-bought cheeses and found that cellulose levels in certain cheeses (including Wal-Mart's Great Value brand "100% Grated Parmesan Cheese") exceeded the percentage allowable by law. These fillers may save companies money, but at the cost of delivering an aptly-named and transparent product to consumers.