Cheese-making - Hazards, regulations and standards

The notion of food safety, of safe and wholesome food, was particularly developed in the late 1990s, following the "Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy" episode in England and other health crises in the 2000s. The last few years, with all their crises, recalls and media coverage, have not reversed this trend. Longer life expectancy, increasing food allergies, medical care for people suffering from serious pathologies and chronic illnesses... are all social phenomena that are increasing the proportion of sensitive people. It is therefore essential for cheese makers to take this health dimension into account.

The European legislator has harmonized food hygiene regulations through the "Hygiene Package" for all food processors in the Member States. Professional cheesemakers, whether farmers, artisans or industrialists, are of course directly concerned by these regulations. In fact, they are obliged to comply with hygiene principles in order to produce products that are safe (without danger) and healthy (acceptable for human consumption).

Supermarkets, for their part, have adopted this sanitary approach, imposing certifications on their food suppliers based on standards such as the International Food Standard (IFS) for Germany, France and Italy, or the British Retail Consortium (BRC) for the UK. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has also published an ISO 22000 standard on "food safety management systems".

Cheese is a foodstuff of animal origin, and as such can present a number of hazards. Whether microbiological (pathogenic germs), chemical (various residues), physical (foreign bodies) or allergenic (nuts), these hazards must be analyzed by the manufacturer. This is the first step in setting up an effective sanitary control plan.