Hard grating (parmesan style) cheeses made from unpasteurised milk
What is the problem with importing cheese made from unpasteurised milk?
Cheese sold in Australia and New Zealand must be made from pasteurised milk. Alternatively the milk must be thermised, which is a less severe heat treatment than pasteurisation and the cheese matured for at least 90 days. This requirement in the Food Standards Code safeguards consumers from the risk of microbiological pathogens such as Salmonella In 1994, ANZFA considered that cheese passing a phosphatase test would deliver a degree of safety equivalent to that provided by cheese made from pasteurised milk. Hard grating cheeses have been imported under this condition since then.
However, the phosphatase test was deleted for technical reasons from the new Code, which will regulate foods after 20 December 2002. As a result, importation of hard grating ( parmesan style ) cheeses made from unpasteurised milk would no longer be legal.
Why was the phosphatase test dropped?
The phosphatase test is a measure of enzyme activity in milk. Heat treatment of the milk will alter the activity of the enzyme. The test, however, has been found not to provide reliable results when applied to cheese and so is not in the new Code.
Does this mean that hard grating cheeses from overseas will be banned in Australia and New Zealand?
No. The Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) is in the process of raising a Proposal to amend the Food Standards Code to allow the continued importation of these cheeses. The Proposal will apply only to hard grating cheeses, not to soft and semi-soft cheeses. ANZFA is not aware of any events of foodborne illness as a result of eating imported hard grating cheeses in the past seven years.
How will ANZFA change theFood Standards Code?
ANZFA will carry out a safety assessment on hard grating cheeses. It will then prepare a report that discusses the issues and the options available for the management of those issues. The public, industry and governments will then have an opportunity to comment on the draft assessment before a final assessment is prepared for consideration by the Board of a new organisation called Food Standards Australia New Zealand, which will replace ANZFA on or about 1 July 2002.
Why have soft and semi-soft cheeses been omitted from this review?
It is generally accepted that the risk of bacterial contamination in these cheeses is higher than for hard grating cheeses.
( June 2002 )