Oser Communications Group

It started with mimolette. On May 29, 2013, the FDA blocked a shipment of this beloved French cheese, known for its nat- ural jack-o-lantern hue, from being brought into the United States. A copy of the Import Refusal Report listed the reason for the cheese's banishment as it was "filthy." The report's description of the shipment is truly shocking. It reads, "The article appears to consist in whole or in part of a filthy, putrid, or decom- posed substance or be otherwise unfit for food." The filthy substance in question should surely leave no question that this product is not fit for sale or consumption in the United States: It was covered in thousands of bugs. But there was more to the story. It turns out that mimolette, like many aged, hard rind cheeses, relies on micro- scopic cheese mites (tiny insects) in order to ripen properly. The U.S. government has even approved of mites on cheeses in certain amounts. The FDA has set the ap- propriate limit at six mites per square inch. The mimolette in question simply exceeded that threshold. Cheese makers argue that these mites are a completely benign presence on the rinds of some hard cheeses, and they are something that all consumers come into contact with each and every day. And even if these mites were unsafe for consumption, they exist only on the inedible rinds, not on the cheese itself. Many in the specialty cheese industry were recently reminded of last year's mi- molette controversy when a new scandal recently erupted—this time over the safety of cheeses aged on wooden boards. In June, a FDA official wrote in a letter to the New York State Department of Agri- culture that it is inherently unsafe to age cheeses on wooden boards, as these boards can not be properly cleaned and sanitized. On its surface, the FDA is at- tempting to protect American consumers from Listeria contamination. However, the organization seems to have failed to take into account that this method of cheese ripening has been employed for centuries. Many of the world's most pop- ular cheeses, including Parmigiano Reg- giano and Comté, are aged in this way. And wooden boards have never been linked to any public health crisis. Within days of the FDA's pronounce- ment on the safety of aging cheeses on wood, the indignant outcry of American specialty cheese industry professionals, as well as the strident response of the public at large, compelled the organiza- tion to retract its stance. The FDA now states that it is not banning the use of wooden boards for cheese aging, and it plans on working with the industry in the future to address safety concerns re- garding this issue. The American cheese industry is re- plete with passionate individuals who have devoted their adult lives to learning about the cheese making process, inno- vating, crafting quality products and, of course, delighting and protecting con- sumers. Still, the U.S. government seems too often to leave the professionals out of the conversation when it makes decisions about what is safe and what is not. It seems clear that specialty cheese produc- ers offer an incredible resource that must be tapped as the FDA and other govern- ment agencies continue to work to pro- tect the American consumer. Just as one consults a doctor for medical opinions or an engineer when building a skyscraper— why would we make and enforce food safety rules without fully incorporating the wisdom of those who know more about the product than anyone? GN — Lucas Witman, Editor 520.721.1300 lucas_w@oser.com GOURMET NEWS JULY 2014 www.gourmetnews.com EDITORIAL 1 0 WWW.GOURMETNEWS.COM PUBLISHER Lee M. Oser ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Paul Harris paul_h@oser.com Jeff Rosano jeff_r@oser.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lorrie Baumann lorrie_b@oser.com EDITOR Lucas Witman editor@oser.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR David Bernard GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Yasmine Brown Vicky Glover ACCOUNT MANAGERS Jules Denton Ryan Harter Lynn Hilton CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Product Wrap-up & Classified Sales Tara Neal tara_n@oser.com CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER Mandy Feld mandy_f@oser.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Jamie Green jamie_g@oser.com PUBLISHING OFFICE 1877 N. Kolb Road P.O. Box 1056 Tucson, AZ 85715 520.721.1300 Fax 520.721.6300 SUBSCRIBER SERVICES Gourmet News P.O. Box 30520 Tucson, AZ 85751 520.721.1300 G OURMET N EWS ® PRESIDENT Lee M. Oser MEMBER OF: Periodicals postage paid at Tucson, AZ, and ad- ditional mailing office. Gourmet News (ISSN 1052-4630) is published monthly by Oser Com- munications Group, 1877 North Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715; 520.721.1300. 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