Cheese Importers Say Harmonization, Not Increased Regulation, for Improving Raw Milk Cheese Safety
New requirements set by the Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act regulations are having a “chilling effect” on imports of safe cheese, said the Cheese Importers Association of America in comments to the agency dated Oct. 29 (here). Responding to an FDA request for input on improving the safety of raw milk cheese, the CIAA said harmonizing international standards on cheese should take center stage as FDA addresses safety concerns.
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Foreign regulations are already doing an adequate job of protecting U.S. consumers from unsafe imported cheese, said the CIAA. Internationally, practices that ensure the safety of raw milk cheese “have been in place for many years and should be recognized, accepted, and can be monitored through the upcoming requirements for the Foreign Supplier Verification Program,” said the FDA. Foreign suppliers are finding requirements unilaterally imposed by the U.S. “to be a financial and operational cost that make exporting cheese to the United States uneconomical and overly complicated,” said the CIAA. Instead, a “harmonization of international standards “should be a goal of all current trade negotiations, particularly the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) so that our consumers can continue to have access to wholesome and traditionally desired products,” it said.