Cheese and chips: parmesan producers fight fakes with microtransponders

Parmesan cheese gained the EU’s protected designation of origin (PDO) status in 1996. Photograph: David Silverman/Getty Images

When is a cheese not what it seems? When it’s a fake parmesan.

Italy’s renowned parmigiano reggiano, favoured for finishing off bowls of pasta and rocket salads, is one of the most counterfeited cheeses in the world. Now its manufacturers have found a new way to hit back against the lookalikes: by adding microchips.