Dairy Sheep Symposium - the Department of Animal Sciences ...

testing on raw milk at the farm. This may give us some measure of the safety potential for E.
coli but other pathogens, e.g., Listeria do not necessarily correlate with coliform counts (C.W.
Donnelly, personal communication). Other microbiological hurdles would have to be in place.
Heat treatment of all milk for aged cheeses
Johnson et al. (1990) proposed a heat treatment of milk for cheesemaking of 148°F for 16 sec
or equivalent to reduce the potential for pathogens in milk used for cheese. Many of our commercial
plants are producing “raw milk cheeses” using heat treatments of 154-158°F for 15 sec
on their milk for cheesemaking. This heat treatment eliminates most of the potential pathogens
and yet does not eliminate all the secondary microflora in the milk that contribute to the full
flavor of raw milk cheeses. Over 95% of raw milk aged cheeses in Wisconsin are produced from
heat-treated milk. There is some concern that the current labeling of raw milk cheeses does not
differentiate between heat-treated milk and true raw milk cheeses. This may be addressed in
future labeling requirements for true raw milk cheeses, similar to unpasteurized fruit juices
(Anonymous, 1998).
Warning label on all raw milk cheeses
In 1996, severe outbreaks of E. coli 0157:H7 in fruit juices and apple cider prompted FDA to
establish requirements for warning labels on unpasteurized juices. This label is required on all
juices not produced under a system validated to reduce E. coli 0157:H7 by 5 logs (Anonymous,
1998). The warning label must state: “WARNING: this product has not been pasteurized and,
therefore, may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly, and
persons with weakened immune systems”. This warning label on unpasteurized juices has
established a president that FDA could follow on raw milk cheeses.
The cider makers have found that most of the supermarkets and chains now handle only
pasteurized juices. Smaller cider makers selling at farmers markets, etc, have found that their
customers have adjusted to the warning labels and markets have stabilized. Within the next
couple years, FDA will require all cider makers selling product wholesale to pasteurize their
cider. Small processors will be allowed to sell unpasteurized juices, with warning labels, to retail
customers only.
Some version of this labeling requirement may be proposed for raw milk cheeses by FDA.
The question will be what cheeses FDA may allow to be produced from raw milk. Since the
Cheese of Choice Coalition is concentrating on preserving raw milk hard cheeses, I would
anticipate that FDA may propose that soft ripened and semisoft ripened cheeses would be required
to be produced from pasteurized milk. If somehow, FDA would allow raw milk to be
used for soft or semisoft cheeses, there would definitely be a requirement for warning labels to
protect the consumer.
Conclusion
FDA is responsible for overseeing the safety of our food supply. They are aware that the 60
day aging period does not effectively eliminate pathogens from all varieties of cheese. There
have been numerous recalls of soft and semisoft cheeses in the past few years due to presence of
pathogens, e.g., Listeria and E. coli 0157:H7. In the next 2 years, FDA will be revising the
regulations covering the potential production of raw milk cheeses. What the final regulation will
look like is hard to guess at this point. However, with the fruitful discussions that are ongoing
between the Cheese of Choice Coalition and FDA, there is hope that there may be some allowance
for raw milk hard cheeses. In the end, FDA will still want to ensure the safety of all cheeses
consumed by U.S. consumers.