Purpose and commentary
This Standards sets out primary production and processing requirements for Gruyere, Sbrinz, Emmental and Roquefort cheese.
Table of Provisions
1 Requirements for certain cheese and cheese products
Clauses
1 Requirements for certain cheese and cheese products
(1) Cheese and cheese products specified in Column 1 of the Table to this clause may be manufactured from milk and milk products that have been produced and processed using a method that –
(a) ensures that the cheese produced achieves an equivalent level of safety protection as cheese prepared from milk or milk products that have been heat treated in accordance with paragraphs 16(a) and (b) of Standard 4.2.4; and
(b) is set out in the legislation or documentation listed in Column 2 of the Table to this clause; and
(c) complies with the conditions, if any, specified in Column 3 of the Table to this clause.
(2) In the Table to clause 1, a reference to a Ministerial Order is a reference a Ministerial Order recorded in the Journal Officiel de la République Française.
Table to clause 1
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
| Cheese and cheese products | Legislation or documentation | Conditions |
| Roquefort | The Ministerial Order of 30 December 1993 on requirements relating to the premises, equipment and operation of milk collection or standardization centres and of establishments involved in the treatment or processing of milk or milk-based products The Ministerial Order of 18 March 1994 on the hygiene of milk products and collection The Ministerial Order of 30 March 1994 on the microbiological criteria that drinking milk and milk-based products must satisfy in order to be placed on the market The Ministerial Order of 28 June 1994 on the identification and sanitary approval of establishments placing on the market animal foodstuffs or foodstuffs of animal origin and on health marking The Ministerial Order of 2 March 1995 on the approval of milk collection, standardization or treatment centres and of establishments involved in the processing of milk and milk-based products | (1) The following matters must be monitored and recorded during cheese production: (a) pH during the acidification process; and (b) salt concentration; and (c) moisture content. (2) Unpasteurised milk for cheese production must be tested and demonstrated to have no detected levels of Listeria monocytogenes in 25 mL of milk per tanker. (3) The cheese must be stored at an appropriate temperature for a period of no less than 90 days from the date of manufacture. |
Editorial note:
Clause 4 of Standard 1.2.4 requires ingredients to be declared using the common name of the ingredient, or a name that describes the true nature of the ingredient, or if applicable a generic name. This requirement means that in relation to cheese made from unpasteurised milk, the ingredient declaration should include a statement that the milk is unpasteurised, and in the case of cheese made other than from cow’s milk, should also include the common name of the species from which the milk is sourced.
