Did the FDA just ban European cheese?

Posted on by

After “clarifying” it’s position on using wood boards to age cheese by saying that wood can NOT be used to safely produce aged cheese, the U.S. FDA moved to dampen fears it will ban all cheese aged on wood.

Meanwhile the American Cheese Society has issued its response to the FDA’s “clarification” on using wood in aging caves and is working to get more information from the FDA on what evidence for their clarification was used, and help them get more information about the issue that may help them see that wood has been used to safely age trillions of pounds of cheese over the last 10,000 years.

UPDATE 16 June 2014:
Based on a unanimous vote at our June 2014 Maine Cheese Guild meeting, the membership of the MCG publicly supports the American Cheese Society’s position statement on the safety of aging cheese on wood, as well as the work of ACS to maintain open lines of communication with the FDA and other governmental regulatory agencies.

Guild Workshop

Beginner Cheesemaking Workshop

Posted on by

Beginner Cheesemaking Workshop with Arlene Brokaw and Beth Calder.  Come join us to learn the basics of safe  sanitation in the home kitchen and how to make boursin and feta style cheeses at home. This class will feature a hands-on cheese making demonstration for all participants. No prior cheese making knowledge necessary!

Milk TempLocation: University of Maine, Orono Campus School of Food & Agriculture’s Commercial Kitchen, Hitchner Hall, Rm 160 (look for signs for the Pilot Plant) Date: Friday, June 27, 2014 Time: 9:00am-4:00pm Cost: $60.00 Please bring your lunch and coffee/tea will be provided.

Space is limited to the first 12 people.

Please tie back long hair, wear comfortable clothing and shoes, and bring along an apron.  We will be standing for most of the workshop.

To register, please contact Melissa Libby at 207.581.2788 or 1.800.287.7170 (in Maine) or melissa.libby1@maine.edu.

 Parking Passes: Parking is located near Hitchner Hall. Melissa will be either e-mailing or mailing parking passes. Participants will need to park in the designated Black Commuter Student Parking Lots. The closest Black Lot is behind Nutting Hall, which is the building next to Hitchner.

Driving Directions: https://umaine.edu/about/driving-directions/

Campus map: http://www.umaine.edu/locator/printable-campus-maps/ If you are a person with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Melissa Libby (UMaine Cooperative Extension, Rm 134 Hitchner Hall, UMaine) at 207.581.2788 or 1.800.287.7170 (in Maine) to discuss your needs. Receiving requests for accommodations 10 days before the program provides a reasonable amount of time to meet the request, however, all requests will be considered. 

June 6 Artisan Cheesemaker Food Safety Workshop in Conn

Posted on by

On June 6, 2014, the New England Dairy Promotion Board will be sponsoring the Artisan/Farmstead Cheese Maker Food Safety Workshop from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. at the University of Connecticut.

This hands-on workshop will help cheese makers understand best practices and techniques for pathogen control in their facilities to assure a continued safe and nutritional end product, while addressing the stringent regulations coming from the FSMA. The workshop will include topics such as GMPs, sanitation, preventative and microbial controls, environmental monitoring, and ingredient and product pathogen testing.

Food safety is an important issue, and we recognize that you work with many individuals who may find this workshop valuable including cheese makers and manufacturers, extension and industry professionals, and retail and foodservice cheese buyers. We’d greatly appreciate it if you would share the attached flier with your colleagues and other individuals who may be interested in attending this workshop.

For more information see this brochure (PDF).

To register visit: www.dairyevents.com

Have a great day!

Madeline Magin
UMass Extension CDLE Team
201 Natural Resources Way
305 Bowditch Hall
Amherst MA, 01003
P: (413) 545-5221