The Food and Drug Administration released last week the test results from its sampling of several commodities, including raw milk cheese aged for 60 days. IDFA welcomed the release of the results and continues to support FDA’s decision earlier this year to pause its strict generic E.coli standard.
The sampling assignments, which also covered cucumbers and hot peppers, began in 2014 as part of FDA’s new proactive program for ensuring food safety and preventing contamination. The assignments were designed to collect a statistically determined number of samples in 12 to 18 months and test them for certain types of bacteria that can cause foodborne illnesses.
FDA selected raw milk cheese aged 60 days because “evidence” indicated that this aging period may not eliminate or adequately reduce disease-causing bacteria in raw milk cheese and could be a potential hazard to consumers.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)