Sarah Spring invited the Guild to visit her at her micro-creamery in Durham for our February meeting. Her house sits on a sunny rise on a back road and ably accommodate the large group that met there to discuss efforts to get Maine cheesemakers to participate in the ACS conference, info about current and future workshops, the importance of the upcoming Sanitation Workshop, and especially the fate of legally making raw milk cheeses while the state of Maine is trying to allow unregulated cheeses into the marketplace, and the Feds are thinking about scrapping any tolerance of unpasteurized dairy products. Needless to say there was much to talk about, and much to act on. Stay tuned.
hope we can discuss the crackdown on raw milk cheese. if the fda rules against using raw milk it will put me out of business. anyone else in the same boat?
We’re on board, too. All I’ve seen so far is a NYTimes article, nothing from any governmental agency. Anyone with any links to relevant info?
I’ve seen a list of suggestions from Cathy Donnelly in VT and Neville McNaughton that are suggesting 90 days aging, and pasteurization for all bloomy and washed rind cheeses, as well as mandatory HACCP and certification. Ugh.
there was an article in the washington post also. i got the impression that the feds have already made a decision but for some reason are not making it public for a few more months. apparently raw milk cheese is not so dangerous that they have to act immediately. i’m surprised donnelly is behind extended aging as i thought she was all for raw milk cheese at any age as long as you could prove it was safe.