Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese Consortium says adult website’s mention of the brand in its video is offensive to producers of the cheese

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

One is an adult website. The other is a cherished Italian cheese. The two, according to the association tasked with protecting Parmigiano-Reggiano, do not mix well.

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The Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese Consortium has said it is weighing legal action against the website Pornhub, accusing it of “vulgar” use of the cheese in its new advert.

Pornhub, which receives 78.9bn video views annually, launched its subscription service last week with a video of a happy couple shopping at the supermarket.

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“Why don’t we get this aged Parmigiano-Reggiano ... They say it’s the Pornhub Premium of cheeses,” a man tells his partner. The advert is aimed at convincing people in the US to pay $9.99 a month for porn videos.

Lawyers for the association are investigating whether they have grounds to take legal action against Pornhub for supposedly tarnishing the name of their treasured cheese. In a statement released on Wednesday, the consortium branded the advert “not only distasteful and unacceptable, but offensive for our producers and their work”.

The video is “vulgarly aimed at making a profit from the exploitation of the fame gained by Parmigiano-Reggiano,” the statement said.

The dispute centres around the specific wording in the advert, said spokesman Igino Morini: “In the advert they’ve used the term Parmigiano-Reggiano, not the term parmesan which can be used generically in the US.”

But a change in wording would not be enough to appease the consortium, which has requested the advert be immediately removed. Cheesemakers have also called for the support of Italian and European authorities, which both grant special protection to authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano.