Artesian Cheese is threatened by FDA's scrutiny of aging cheese on wooden boards
Forbes Magazine Article about Artesian Cheese
The Depth and Breadth of FDA cGMP CFR's, and why the Big Cheese is going to overtake the Little Cheese
A Forbes Magazine article is explaining how the FDA threatens small scale artesian cheese makers who might not be able to use wooden boards to age their cheese anymore. The FDA regulator cites
21 CFR 110.40 (a) "
All plant equipment and utensils shall be so designed and of such material and workmanship as to be adequately cleanable, and shall be properly maintained. The design, construction, and use of equipment and utensils shall preclude the adulteration of food with lubricants, fuel, metal fragments, contaminated water, or any other contaminants. All equipment should be so installed and maintained as to facilitate the cleaning of the equipment and of all adjacent spaces. Food-contact surfaces shall be corrosion-resistant when in contact with food. They shall be made of nontoxic materials and designed to withstand the environment of their intended use and the action of food, and, if applicable, cleaning compounds and sanitizing agents. Food-contact surfaces shall be maintained to protect food from being contaminated by any source, including unlawful indirect food additives."
(image from google images no infringement intended)
Why would aging cheese on wooden boards matter? The character and taste of aged cheese is somehow influenced by the aging process on wooden boards, and the same rule would not affect big cheese manufactures, since they do not make aged cheese, they manufacture it. Artesian cheese is made by small cheese-makers, using unique ingredients and traditional techniques, which may include aging the finished cheesed in a cave, or wooden boards to get the unique tastes effects.
In other cases, the FDA regulators mandated a cheese producer sanitize his wooden boards, so the interpretations of the rules are subject to change, depending on new scientific findings, or the regulator.
I feel that this article is worth reading to get exposed to the way regulators interpret the FDA CFR's, especially if you have taken Prof. Polos Bio 77 Regulations class, which deals with this closely.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregorymcneal/2014/06/09/fda-may-destroy-american-artisan-cheese-industry/
Check it out!
Forbes Magazine Article about Artesian Cheese
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