In yet another case of labeling tricks and deception where store bought food is concerned, many brands of raw cheese produced in the United States and sold at the healthfood store and specialty shops are anything but.
Organic Valley, the corporate behemoth that has gone to the Dark Side where raw, fresh, organic, healthgiving grassfed milk is concerned is not surprisingly the worst offender of this loophole in the USDA regulations.
According to Federal Law 7 (CFR 58.438):
“If the cheese is labeled as pasteurized, the milk shall be pasteurized by subjecting every particle of milk to a minimum temperature of 161 degrees Fahrenheit for not less than 15 [fifteen] seconds or by any other acceptable combination of temperature and time treatment approved by the Administrator.”
For FLUID PRODUCTS, “vat pasteurization” is defined as heating at 145 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 30 minutes; heating at 161 degrees for at least 15 seconds is called “high temperature short time pasteurization” [7 CFR 58.101].
What does this mean in layman’s terms?
It means that any cheese where the milk is heated to a temperature under 161 degrees Fahrenheit or less than 15 seconds could be called “raw” and labeled as such according to this definition!
Organic Valley admits on its website that its raw cheese is “subpasteurized”, but fails to identify just how close subpasteurized is to the real thing. This is typical marketing deception and labeling games by a company which, many months ago, I stopped buying products from.
Subpasteurization still heats the milk to an obscenely high temperature which destroys nutrition and enzymes. Calling such a product “raw” is deceptive, misleading, if not downright insulting to the sensibilities and intelligence of its customers.
While Organic Valley is no doubt the worst offender of this regulatory loophole, any other cheese sold in stores, produced in the United States and labeled as “raw” is also likely heated to subpasteurization temperatures. Even “raw” goat cheese would fall under this loophole.
I called the company Tree of Life which also produces “raw” cheese sold in healthfood stores, but my questions about the true rawness of their cheeses were not answered and requests for a return call from someone who could provide me with answers were not returned.
On a positive note, a very small dairy near my metro area which sells raw goat cheese in stores around town was very upfront and forthright with their answers about how the cheese is produced. This dairy does truly produce raw cheese as the milk is only warmed to 98F which is well within the limits for enzyme and nutrient preservation.
Buy Local from a Trusted Small Farm
The lesson to be learned here is that the only way to be sure that the cheese you buy comes from truly raw milk is to buy from a preferably local, small dairy farm that specializes in cheesemaking and to talk to the cheesemaker yourself. To find a small farm near you, check out the Real Milk website or contact your local Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leaders from around the world for their list of locally produced goods.
If you don’t have a local dairy farm near you that makes cheese, contact the Weston A. Price Foundation and order the 2010 Shopping Guide for $3 plus shipping. This handy little brochure fits in your pocket or purse and lists many small farms across North America where you can mail order truly raw cheese.
And, whatever you do, don’t buy the fake “raw” cheese from Organic Valley!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Many thanks to Pete Kennedy, Esq. of the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund for tracking down the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) references for this article.
Wow! I found your site from Kely the Kitchen Kop and I JUST started her site last week…to say I am a little overwhelmed is an understatment but I will continue to work through this so my children can be healthy. Whew!….that felt good to get that out! Ok…question…I am a little concerned about raw milk, I understand what you are saying but I do not know where to buy it yet so what can I buy in the grocery store? I need milk at least to cook with. Thanks! Gina
I don't know the rules for Canada, but I'll bet they are similar as the USA regs. Organic Valley's website touts its "raw" cheese as "unpasteurized" too and instead talks about "subpasteurization" but fails to identify the temperature (which is 155F from what I have been told).
Hmmm. I buy L'Ancetre cheese here in Canada and the website specifically says that the milk is not pasteurized, wonder if that is true or not?
Hi Kate, what you want is "unheated" cheese. If it says "unpasteurized" it can still be heated right up to just under pasteurization temps of 161F. The best way to do this is talk to the cheesemaker (farmer) directly. I am not up on the rules for imported raw cheeses, but I remember some years back when the rules for this type of food were tightened considerably.
I'm a little confused about this…..the quotation above says "If the cheese is labeled as pasteurized……"
What does that have to do with raw cheese?
Hi Jill, yes – the reason OV uses subpasteurization is to increase shelf life and profits, no doubt about that. Truly raw cheese has shipping and shelf life issues that heated cheese does not. OV is trying to have it both ways – get the business of folks seeking REAL CHEESE from truly raw milk and also get the most $$ from a product with ease of shipping and shelf life. Also, I have been told by a pretty reliable source but have been unable to confirm this so did not include in the blog, that OV uses Grade B milk to makes its "raw" cheese, so it has to heat it because it is garbage milk that can't be used for drinkable milk.
Ugh. I don't buy ANY Organic Valley products at all, for many reasons…. But I was buying ones at my local Trader Joe's that are labeled raw. If it specifically says "unpasteurized" and/or if it is imported is that safe? That is what I usually buy, though not always. I hope, I hope…my family does not do well on pasteurized dairy, even VAT pasteurized grass-fed….
I assume this explains why the raw cheese from my Amish farmer gets moldy so quickly while the "raw" cheese I buy at stores lasts much longer without getting moldy?
how quickly does the amish raw cheese mold/age?
I want to buy amish cheese but I don’t know which one to get, I wish they offered a gift basket flavor tester.
Hi Sarah, why don't you try mail ordering some truly raw cheese from a small farm like the many that are listed in the WAPF Shopping Guide?
I've known about the deception behind the word "raw" from Organic Valley for a long time. However, our family still eats their cheese for a couple reasons: 1. my husband, who is "lactose intolerant" can eat their cheese with no problems (he can't eat any other store-bought cheese we've tried, although he can eat truly raw cheese), and 2. Organic Valley cheese tastes VERY good. We live in an area where obtaining any raw dairy is a struggle (and raw cow's milk cheese is not even an option), so for us it works to still use the Organic Valley stuff.