We’re enjoying a boom in artisanal cheeses in this country. A movement that began in the 1970s has flourished in recent years, with more than 450 artisanal cheesemakers in this country today, according to the New York Times. But several outbreaks of food borne illnesses have been traced back to cheese, and the federal government has noticed.

The Food and Drug Administration is taking a long, hard look at the use of raw, unpasteurized milk by cheesemakers and rumors are circulating in the industry that the regulatory agency may be considering big changes – up to an including a prohibition on the use of raw milk.

As the craft of cheesemaking has grown in this country, some cheesemakers have turned to raw milk, which they say offers more finely nuanced flavors that can vary greatly, depending upon the seasons and the diet of the dairy cows.

Raw milk, of course, is milk that has avoided pasteurization, a heating process intended to destroy any harmful bacteria that may be in the milk. The FDA has always allowed the use of raw milk in cheeses provided the cheese is aged a minimum of 60 days. It was thought that any dangerous bacteria which might be present in the cheese – such as E. coli or salmonella - would die off within those 60 days.

More recent research has shown, however, that some bacteria can survive that 60-day period. And several instances of food-borne illnesses associated with raw cheese have turned the spotlight on the issue. The FDA says that some 400 individuals have been sickened by contaiminated cheeses in the last five years.

While no official figures have been released, it appears the FDA has greatly increased inspections at cheesemaking facilities. And, of particular concern to the FDA is the use of raw milk in softer cheeses.

Hard cheeses dry out as they age, creating a less hospitable environment for bacteria. But soft cheeses retain more moisture. One recent study even found that levels of listeria bacteria increased in some soft cheeses as they aged.

The FDA has been reviewing the issue this past year and has said it will reveal new proposals in the next several months. But the content of the new rules has left cheesemakers fretting.

Will the FDA impose a longer aging process for cheeses made with raw milk? That would force many artisanal cheesemakers to make changes to their production schedules and send some back to the drawing board, since they carefully manage the cheesemaking process to deliver prime taste and texture at the right time. It might also mean the disappearance of some softer cheeses, which won’t survive longer aging. The FDA could also create new requirements for plant safety and inspections.

Of course, the most troubling outcome, in the eyes of both cheesemakers and cheese lovers, would be the prohibition of raw milk in cheese production. That seems rather draconian.

We’ll be watching. And we’ll let you know as soon as we hear more about this. The FDA usually announces proposed changes accompanied by a comment period and we just know folks will have plenty to say about this issue.

For now, if you’d like to read more, you can check out recent articles by the New York Times or the Washington Post.

Other links:

The Raw Milk Cheese Association