Locally-made unpasteurised milk cheeses may soon be available in New Zealand under new rules proposed by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority.

NZFSA’s technical standards and systems assistant director, Scott Crerar, said under current food regulations, only a small range of unpasteurised milk products were imported and sold.

The proposed rules, which have been released for discussion, would allow the production, sale, export and import of unpasteurised milk products that had an acceptable bacterial safety level.

“Many local manufacturers support the plan to address inconsistencies in the law that allow some raw milk cheeses made overseas to be imported whilst domestic manufacturers may not make their own equivalent products,” Crerar said. “There is also support for the system from consumers who relish the thought of being able to enjoy a wider range of these products.”

Some unpasteurised milk products were higher risk foods than pasteurised products because they had not undergone heat treatment to kill harmful bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli, which can cause foodborne illness, he said.

The proposed framework recognises some unpasteurised milk products can be produced so they pose a low food safety risk to the general population. However, vulnerable consumers – such as babies and toddlers under three, the frail elderly, expectant mothers and people with weakened immune systems – need to avoid eating them. The
proposals include strategies to manage risks for vulnerable consumers by making them aware unpasteurised milk products can pose a higher risk than traditional pasteurised products.

The discussion paper explains the three groups unpasteurised milk products fall into according to the risk they present, and the proposed rules that will apply to each.

One group poses no greater food safety concerns than pasteurised cheeses and can therefore be produced under existing dairy requirements. This includes the extra-hard grating, Parmesan-style raw milk cheeses. A second group of products, such as Roquefort, are low risk for the general population but may pose a higher risk for
vulnerable consumers so strategies will be required to manage this. A third group cannot currently be produced to an acceptable level of safety for the general population so will not be allowed to be produced in New Zealand, or imported.

Products able to be made under the proposed system would have special physical or chemical characteristics and/or be subjected to processing techniques that mean any surviving bacteria would be at safe levels.

Workshops planned for Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch in June will outline the proposals in more detail. To download a copy of the discussion paper or find out more details about the workshops see www.nzfsa.govt.nz/dairy/publications/consultation/