Roquefort cheese still banned

Sacre bleu. A transtasman food standard agency has given Australians the go-ahead to import roquefort bleu cheese deemed too risky for New Zealanders.

The mouldy soft fromage traditionally made from raw milk and matured in caves is outlawed in New Zealand on health grounds because it is made from unpasteurised milk.

The French delicacy's classification as a high-risk product means it cannot be shuffled across the Tasman once it arrives in Australia.

Gourmets claim raw-milk cheeses develop greater depth of flavour, aroma and taste, and cheeses made from heat-treated milk are bland.

Carol Barnao, director of New Zealand's Food Safety Authority's dairy products division, said yesterday that it was working on a NZ risk assessment of the roquefort, and expected to complete the work early next year.

But about another 14 applications have been made for the import of European speciality cheeses produced using raw milk, and the authority is also working on a protocol for the assessment of raw-milk cheeses, which is expected to be completed in 2007.

Australian dairy sector analysts estimate that prospective demand for roquefort on that side of the Tasman will be just 20-30 tonnes a year.

French consumers, by comparison, consume 1.45 million tonnes of blue cheese annually.

- NZPA