What is “raw milk” cheese and how do you recognize it?

Cheese made from unpasteurized milk, also known as raw milk cheese, is said to be hazardous to health. Due to the lack of pasteurization, the short heating of the milk, there may be harmful bacteria in the cheese. What to look for and how do you actually know which cheese is raw milk?

Of course, raw milk cheese is not necessarily harmful, but it is also not entirely risky j. Because milk is usually pasteurized, the bacteria in it are rendered harmless. Raw milk cheese is still unabated because the real experts swear by the deeper taste that is released, precisely because of those bacteria.

Harmful bacteria that can form in dairy due to the lack of pasteurization are the listeria, E. coli and salmonella bacteria. The diseases that these malignant bacteria can cause are particularly harmful to children and the unborn children of pregnant women. Those who are pregnant are therefore not recommended to eat these cheeses.

People with a reduced immune system, such as the elderly, are also best off avoiding raw milk cheeses, because the symptoms of a listeria or salmonella infection will be much more serious. The European regulations regarding these products are strict. The so-called HAACP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is a way to test the quality of certain foods within the EU. Does production comply with all control points? Then the manufacturer has done everything to ensure the safety of the product.

The Dutch authority that monitors this is the COKZ (Quality Affairs Control Body). “In addition to supervising production and processing, the COKZ has been carrying out an intensive monitoring program on the food safety criteria of raw milk cheeses for years,” says Karin Nagel, Manager Strategy & Expertise at COKZ. “ Research by the COKZ shows that there is a high compliance rate with the regulations, so the overall risk that consumers face is very low.”