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FDA Taking New Look at Raw Milk Cheese Criteria
USAgNet - 02/09/2016

Recently, cheesemakers have raised concerns suggesting that the FDA is applying safety criteria that may, in effect, limit the production of raw milk cheese without demonstrably benefitting public health. In response, the FDA wants to first acknowledge our respect for the work of the artisan cheesemakers who produce a wide variety of flavorful, high-quality cheeses using raw milk and its appreciation for the great care that many take to produce raw milk cheeses safely.

The agency said it understands the concerns expressed by some cheesemakers, as well as lawmakers, and intend to engage in a scientific dialogue on these issues.

The FDA's role in this area, and with respect to food safety generally, is to work with the industry, consumers, government partners, and experts to be sure the right science-based, prevention-oriented standards and safety criteria are in place and that there is widespread compliance in the interest of food safety and consumer confidence. Some question testing raw milk cheese for the presence of non-toxigenic E. coli, which has long been used by FDA and other public health agencies in the U.S. and other countries to indicate fecal contamination. Specifically, the concerns include the application of the test results and scientific foundation of these criteria.

The reason for testing cheese samples for non-toxigenic E. coli is that bacteria above a certain level could indicate unsanitary conditions in a processing plant. Our surveillance sampling shows that the vast majority of domestic and imported raw milk cheeses are meeting the established criteria.

The agency will re-evaluate its criteria in the context of the overarching framework for the oversight of food production provided by the 2011 FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The Preventive Controls for Human Food rule mandated by FSMA, which became final in September, requires that food producers identify hazards in their product and operations and put controls in place to prevent or minimize those hazards.

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