What guidance does FDA have for manufacturers of Cheese?

Cheese may be contaminated with insect and rodent filth during the handling of the milk, during the manufacture of the cheese, or during storage. Such contamination must be guarded against. Particular care should be taken not to use milk which may be contaminated with pesticides from forage fed to the animals or carelessly used in barns. Large quantities of cheese have been detained because of such contamination.

Standards of identity have been established for most natural cheeses, process cheeses, cheese foods, and cheese spreads (21 CFR 133). Where a standard has been adopted for a particular variety of cheese, all cheeses belonging to the variety must comply with the standard and be labeled with the name prescribed in the standard.

Most of the standards prescribe a maximum permissible moisture content and minimum milk fat content fat. A few natural cheeses are required to be made from pasteurized milk. Most, however, may be made from either raw milk or pasteurized milk. When made from raw milk they are required to be aged for 60 days or longer at a temperature of not less than 35 degrees F. The 60 days aging is necessary to ensure the safety of the cheese. Requirements for longer aging are established for cheeses which need long aging to develop the characteristics of the variety. Shippers of cheese and foods that contain cheese should consult the FDA standards before making shipments to the United States.