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New federal ruling may outlaw Parmesan and more
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | June 10, 2014 | by Jonathan Kauffman

Posted on 06/10/2014 2:47:14 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer

Gabe Luddy, fourth-generation cheesemaker at Vella Cheese Co. in Sonoma, makes his Dry Jack the same way his grandfather and great-grandfather did - he rolls and presses curds into large wheels of cheese, then brines and coats the wheels before sliding them onto wooden racks. There they age, from seven months to several years.

A U.S. Food & Drug Administration statement which became public last week puts this 83-year-old practice in doubt. In what the agency is calling a clarification, the FDA has declared that the wooden surfaces that cheesemakers around the world age cheeses on "cannot be adequately cleaned and sanitized." If the ruling holds, it won't just affect Sonoma Jack. The the Parmagiano-Reggiano you grate over your pasta might also be illegal.

At issue is the interpretation of the FDA's Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations, which state, "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 cheese society's Weiser says her organization has been besieged by calls from cheesemakers, retailers and legislators.

Vella's Gabe Luddy is more blunt.

"We're talking about a crushing blow to the artisan cheese industry," he says. "For us replacing wood shelves would require a huge capital investment. I don't even know what we would switch to."

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: california; cheese; fda; fdaoutofcontrol; liberty; nannystate; parmesan; sonoma; vellacheese
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"I am not a friend to a very energetic government. It is always oppressive."

-Thomas Jefferson

1 posted on 06/10/2014 2:47:14 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Guess someone forget to tell the FDA that that’s how cheese has been made for centuries and there haven’t been any epidemics.


2 posted on 06/10/2014 2:49:20 PM PDT by RWB Patriot ("My ability is a value that must be earned and I don't recognize anyone's need as a claim on me.")
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Fk this !


3 posted on 06/10/2014 2:51:10 PM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks (Rip it out by the roots.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
In the age of 0bama, there is no such thing as a tyranny too small.
4 posted on 06/10/2014 2:55:57 PM PDT by mojito (Zero, our Nero.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Our government has been overthrown from within by Leftist bureaucrats.

After testing and prodding for a few years they have clearly concluded that Americans no longer have the will to fight back.

This case is particularly frustrating in light of how difficult it is to grate Velveeta.


5 posted on 06/10/2014 2:57:18 PM PDT by Junk Silver
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

I think this ruling should be extended immediately to whiskey aged in those unsanitary wooden barrels and the wines aged in wooden casks.

Let the loose the wings of fury from the wine and spirits community.

“First they came for cheese racks, but I didn’t say anything. Then, they came for the whiskey barrels . . .”


6 posted on 06/10/2014 3:00:58 PM PDT by the_Watchman
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

The FDA will do their best to make food expensive and lower quality.

You want the good stuff? Get better connections, peasant.


7 posted on 06/10/2014 3:02:10 PM PDT by Bogey78O (We had a good run. Coulda been great still.)
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To: RWB Patriot

Cheese is a most unique sort of food, in that it is essentially a “living” substance, with changing characteristics over time. Natural cheese harbors the growth of beneficial bacteria, and it is almost impossible for pathogens to grow on the composition of cheese at most stages of its production and aging. The use and re-use of shelves on which the cheese is stored to age insures that the pathogens never get a foothold.

If cheese DOES go bad, there is no question, because then it becomes rotting protein matter. Normally, there is a considerable amount of lactate/lactic acid, a very effective bactericide, and only the cheese bacteria can live in these conditions. When the lactate level gets too low, the natural resistance of cheese to rot and decay is lost, then MAYBE the FDA has a valid point.

But I suspect a very political decision by somebody that has little understanding of the art and science of cheese making, who got promoted into a job way beyond his competence and understanding.


8 posted on 06/10/2014 3:04:12 PM PDT by alloysteel (Selective and willful ignorance spells doom, to both victim and perpetrator - mostly the perp.)
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To: Bogey78O
I AM the connection. I grow or harvest most of my own food, and can make all the 'good stuff' from scratch. It's good to have skillsets.

The USDA can't have my wooden cheesepress, or cheeseboards.

/johnny

9 posted on 06/10/2014 3:04:20 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

it is time to do away with government that believes it is God and micromanages every aspect/of your life.


10 posted on 06/10/2014 3:05:16 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
Wood is more hygienic than plastic. The surface structure of wood naturally inhibits bacterial growth. You're much better off with a wooden cutting board than a plastic one.
11 posted on 06/10/2014 3:06:24 PM PDT by Paine in the Neck (Socialism consumes EVERYTHING)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
Let's see:

The government hasn't had to eat one ounce of that fecal stew above that they cooked up for the rest of us peasants.

12 posted on 06/10/2014 3:07:06 PM PDT by kiryandil (turning Americans into felons, one obnoxious drunk at a time (Zero Tolerance!!!))
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To: Bogey78O

Heaven help us if they ever move against canned food.


13 posted on 06/10/2014 3:07:08 PM PDT by RWB Patriot ("My ability is a value that must be earned and I don't recognize anyone's need as a claim on me.")
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To: alloysteel
But I suspect a very political decision by somebody that has little understanding of the art and science of cheese making,

I don't think it's political. Who benefits? This is the work of some utterly oblivious bureaucrat.

14 posted on 06/10/2014 3:07:56 PM PDT by SeeSharp
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Is this a racist policy?


15 posted on 06/10/2014 3:07:57 PM PDT by petitfour
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Watch out! Air and water are next! There is no limit to their lunacy.


16 posted on 06/10/2014 3:08:22 PM PDT by Lake Living
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To: petitfour

So what about imported cheese will it be banned if the same practice is observed?


17 posted on 06/10/2014 3:10:09 PM PDT by DocJhn
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To: SeeSharp
There are vegans that would love to see dairy killed here in the US.

/johnny

18 posted on 06/10/2014 3:10:17 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: DocJhn

Hillary said they have to take some things away from you for your own good.


19 posted on 06/10/2014 3:11:41 PM PDT by BipolarBob
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To: RWB Patriot

Just pushing the prices higher, because Italian food is cheaper to make...pasta etc...must have Parmesan. I am so disgusted by this group of imbecils who don’t even know about the processes used for hundreds of years...centuries in some places.

Someone must have gotten mad at an Italian Restaurant or dumped by a Parmesan Company employee...it’s always because they can.


20 posted on 06/10/2014 3:11:54 PM PDT by Kackikat
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