Rogue ice cream makers could soon face fines of up to €10,000 in Italy. — Picture courtesy of AnnaPustynnikova / IStock.comROME, April 27 — Italian ice-cream makers injecting large amounts of air into their mixtures to make low-cost gelato could soon fall foul of a new law and run the risk of being fined up to €10,000 . These are the proposals currently being considered by the Italian Senate, in a bid to protect artisanal ice cream.
No one messes with traditional culinary heritage in Italy. After cheese, pizza and prosecco, ice cream is the latest food in the sights of the Italian authorities. To clamp down on a technique using large amounts of compressed air to artificially make gelato more fluffy, suggested legislation is currently being studied to punish rogue ice cream artisans. In some cases, this practice can represent up to 80 per cent of the volume of ice cream.
Although the proposed bill may raise a smile at first glance, ice cream is a serious business in Italy, where the sector is valued at around €1 billion. — ETX Studio