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> cut with fillers like wood pulp Label fraud aside, I really don't understand the vitriol that gets directed against grated cheese being sold with cellulose.

> cut with fillers like wood pulp Label fraud aside, I really don't understand the vitriol that gets directed against grated cheese being sold with cellulose. It's only there to make the cheese shake out better (which it does well, you can buy grated cheese without cellulose to compare it to) And besides, there's nothing wrong with cellulose in the first place. You eat loads of cellulose every time you eat lettuce. Sure they get it from trees, but so what? I really don't see what the big deal is, assuming the labels are accurate. The fraud is a serious matter, but the "wood pulp" is inoffensive.

ip26 4y ago
If the label says 100% parmesean but the contents is 0% parmesean, I have 0% faith that the included wood pulp is safe for consumption. Lettuce is regulated; sawdust filler in fraudulent product (from the local PT lumber mill, perhaps?) is not.
djur 4y ago
It's not that the cellulose is harmful, but that it might be used as filler in quantities far in excess of what is necessary for preventing caking. Calling it "wood pulp" is pointless scaremongering, I agree. Cellulose on pregrated cheese is also supposed to impair melting, but I've always questioned how strong this effect might be. I've used grated cheese that melts wonderfully and grated cheese that might as well be plastic, and that's generally been correlated with the price of the cheese. Maybe cheaper cheese has more cellulose, but in my experience it's also drier and more rubbery, and melting is influenced by moisture content.
chihuahua 4y ago
It seems to be fashionable to see a corporate conspiracy in everything. From there, it's just a few more steps before people think that Bill Gates is using the tracking chips in the Parmesan to track people at all times, cackling in his secret underground lair.
jquery 4y ago
If it’s no big deal why don’t they put “wood pulp” on the packaging? The fact it saves them money is too convenient by half and if they want to sell it they should be forced to disclose how they’re making it shake easier.
- robonerd 4y ago
  When they're following the law, which is most of the time, they put "cellulose" in the ingredients list on the package. This sort of product is usually not mislabeled. In that case it wasn't, and the company was rightly busted for it. It isn't called "wood pulp" in the ingredient list because it isn't wood pulp, it's cellulose powder derived from wood pulp (or cotton.) Listing cellulose as "wood pulp" would be like listing gelatin as "pig".
  - jquery 4y ago
    In a lot of cases these same industries co-wrote the law so it gets a bit circular to cite the law as justification. But thanks for the longer explanation. I still feel they should be required to put what it’s derived from. Listing gelatin as “gelatin derived from pig” would be more helpful to make informed consumer choices.

ip26 4y ago

If the label says 100% parmesean but the contents is 0% parmesean, I have 0% faith that the included wood pulp is safe for consumption. Lettuce is regulated; sawdust filler in fraudulent product (from the local PT lumber mill, perhaps?) is not.

djur 4y ago

It's not that the cellulose is harmful, but that it might be used as filler in quantities far in excess of what is necessary for preventing caking. Calling it "wood pulp" is pointless scaremongering, I agree. Cellulose on pregrated cheese is also supposed to impair melting, but I've always questioned how strong this effect might be. I've used grated cheese that melts wonderfully and grated cheese that might as well be plastic, and that's generally been correlated with the price of the cheese. Maybe cheaper cheese has more cellulose, but in my experience it's also drier and more rubbery, and melting is influenced by moisture content.

chihuahua 4y ago

It seems to be fashionable to see a corporate conspiracy in everything. From there, it's just a few more steps before people think that Bill Gates is using the tracking chips in the Parmesan to track people at all times, cackling in his secret underground lair.

jquery 4y ago

If it’s no big deal why don’t they put “wood pulp” on the packaging? The fact it saves them money is too convenient by half and if they want to sell it they should be forced to disclose how they’re making it shake easier.

robonerd 4y ago
When they're following the law, which is most of the time, they put "cellulose" in the ingredients list on the package. This sort of product is usually not mislabeled. In that case it wasn't, and the company was rightly busted for it. It isn't called "wood pulp" in the ingredient list because it isn't wood pulp, it's cellulose powder derived from wood pulp (or cotton.) Listing cellulose as "wood pulp" would be like listing gelatin as "pig".
- jquery 4y ago
  In a lot of cases these same industries co-wrote the law so it gets a bit circular to cite the law as justification. But thanks for the longer explanation. I still feel they should be required to put what it’s derived from. Listing gelatin as “gelatin derived from pig” would be more helpful to make informed consumer choices.