Unpasteurised cheeses come step closer for NZ consumers

Photo / Rotorua Daily Post

Food safety experts may allow the sale of some locally made unpasteurised milk cheeses.

Cheese aficionados claim heating and pasteurising milk destroys the cheese's flavour-giving bacteria and that dangerous bacteria such as listeria can live in any soft cheeses, including those that are pasteurised.

Until now pasteurisation has been held up as the chief bulwark against pathogens such as listeria monocytogenes, E coli, salmonella, Coxiella burnetii and Mycobacterium bovis.

The Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) has proposed new rules which would allow the production, sale, export and import of unpasteurised milk products that have an acceptable bacterial safety level.

NZFSA technical standards and systems assistant director Scott Crerar said at present only a few cheeses made from unpasteurised milk were imported and sold.

"Many local manufacturers support the plan to address inconsistencies in the law that allow some raw milk cheeses made overseas to be imported while domestic manufacturers may not make their own equivalent products," he said.

But vulnerable consumers, such as babies and toddlers under 3, the frail elderly, expectant mothers and people who suffer from weakened immune systems, will have to avoid unpasteurised cheese.

The authority has divided unpasteurised milk products into three risk categories. Extra-hard grating, Parmesan-style raw milk cheeses such as Grana Padano, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Romano, Asiago and Montasio pose low levels of risk.

A second group, such as Roquefort, a soft raw milk cheese made in France, are low risk for the general population but may pose a higher risk for vulnerable consumers.

But the NZFSA said some cheeses in a third group could not be produced from unpasteurised milk to an acceptable level of safety for the general population so would not be allowed to be produced or imported.

The proposals will be outlined at workshops planned for Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch next month.

- NZPA