Starting May 28th - 40 year ban on the import of Italian salumi will be lifted.

[Johnny the Gent]

Read article here:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/16/184553890/no-more-smuggling-many-cured-italian-meats-coming-to-america

[Marvin]

wow I didn't know that
is the fog and smells in the valley that powerful to make such a great  product?
cant wait
marvin

[Johnny the Gent]

From a different source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/30/cured-meat-ban-italy-usda_n_3187462.html

marvin - I believe that's part of the mystery and charm of these local, regional products. I'm sure there's some merit, though - but how much?

*Edited - fixed link

[Mal]

Mmmm Culatello is magical stuff.

[Johnny the Gent]

Stay away, TSA! This mortadella's mine, all mine!

 

[Bill/SFNM]

Not so fast?

It's not yet clear, however, what standards the producers will have to meet and what the costs will be. But even without a ban, Italian cured meat producers must pay hefty fees as part of the process of getting certified for importation.

[Johnny the Gent]

Not so fast?

Good catch Bill. This excerpt from the second article I linked:

Workabeba Yigzaw, a USDA public affairs specialist, offered further insight into the new rule in an email to The Huffington Post:

    In terms of importation, this rule means that pork and pork products from the identified regions in Italy will now be approved for import into the United States, because those areas are now recognized as free of SVD. They are no longer required to be cured for 400 days, per the previous regulations that were in place to mitigate for SVD. They will still have to meet the export requirements, such as coming from a facility that has been approved by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

It'll be interesting to see in the coming months how this develops, as well as the product's price tag.