You may have missed the news but as of February this year, Food Standards Australia and New Zealand now allows cheese makers to use unpasteurised, or “raw”, milk in their products. It was previously rather difficult to get your hands on raw milk cheeses, but with the ban history, the doors are well and truly open.
Photo by US Department of Agriculture / Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons 2.0
The restrictions surrounding the production and sale of raw milk cheeses went under review in late 2014 and at that time, a decision was expected to arrive in a few months. True to its word, the FSANZ has since eased the rules.
For the curious, the organisation has a handy FAQ available explaining what the changes mean for businesses as well as consumers. If you take a peek, you’ll see the amendments don’t just apply to making and purchasing raw milk cheeses locally, but snapping up the stuff from abroad too:
In February 2015 further changes were made to the standard that allow for the production and importation of a greater range of raw milk cheeses where defined safety outcomes can be met, including ensuring pathogens are able to be controlled during manufacture and are unable to grow in the final product.
If you’re wondering about raw milk in general, nothing has changed; raw cow’s milk sold for consumption is still banned in all states.
Question and answers about changes made through Proposal P1022 [FSANZ, via the ABC]
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