Grana Padano is a cheese originating in the Po River Valley in northern Italy that is similar to Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. There are fewer regulations governing its production. This hard, crumbly-textured cheese is made with unpasteurized cow's milk that is semi-skimmed through a natural creaming process. To preserve the authenticity of the manufacturing processes and raw materials used to make this cheese, European Union law has protected the name Grana Padano under the protected designation of origin since 1996 (PDO). Like Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano is a semi-fat hard cheese which is cooked and ripened slowly for at least nine months. If it passes quality tests, it is fire-branded with the Grana Padano trademark. The cows are milked twice a day. Milk produced in the evening is skimmed to remove the surface layer of cream and mixed with fresh milk produced in the morning.