Is your raw cheese actually raw? Or has it been greenwashed?

written by

Marie Reedell

posted on

July 10, 2024

I know you get frustrated with misleading labels. Me, too! Sadly, I just found out about a new one to watch out for...

Imagine that you're shopping in a cheese department. You spot some raw cheese. Hooray!

So, you buy the cheese. But then, you read the fine print on the back of the label. For example, on Organic Valley's raw cheeses, it says "Heated to 158F for 15 seconds". Ugh!!!

What's up with this? Another greenwashed label? Shouldn't raw cheese not be heated at all? Doesn't heating to 158F negate the purpose of purchasing raw?

Let's dive a little deeper.

How heating milk past 110F alters digestibility and nutrition

I mean, in terms of health, raw cheese is the best. Milk in its raw state has more nutritional value compared to pasteurized milk.

When milk isn't heated past 110F, all the natural microbiology, vitamins, and minerals stay intact. And that means max digestibility and nutrition for you. This makes logical sense, since milk straight from a cow is around 102F.

When milk is heated above 110F, it changes. Here's a chart breaking it down:

The amount of damage done is directly related to the amount of processing. The higher the pasteurization temp and time, the more the naturally healthy parts of the milk are damaged. In addition, when milk is homogenized, it breaks down nutrients and fats.

Why milk needs to be heated to make cheese

You can't make cheese without a little heat. The cultures simply wouldn't grow.

Mesophilic cultures work at temps ranging from 62–102F. The most common temp for this type of culture is around 90F. They are used to make many types of cheese, including cheddar, gouda, chèvre, muenster, and camembert.

Thermophilic cultures work at temps ranging from 104–112F. They are used to make cheeses like mozzarella, parmesan, provolone, swiss, and romano.

The legal regulations for raw cheese

Legally, as long as the milk isn't heated to the the legal pasteurization temp of 161F on "properly operated equipment", it's still considered "raw milk". And cheese made from that milk can be labeled as "raw cheese".

Here are the legal pasteurization temps and times:

145F for 30 minutes
161F for 15 seconds
191F for 1 second
204F for 0.05 second
212F for 0.01 second

So, if Organic Valley heats the milk to 158F for 15 seconds (just under the legal 161F for 15 seconds), they can label it as "raw cheese".

Or, if a cheesemaker heats the milk to to any temp or time, but they don't use "properly operated equipment" that's certified and records temps and times, guess what? Yup, it can be labeled as "raw cheese".

Both of the above examples are 100% legal and within the regulations.

A few other legal requirements for raw cheese:

The cheese needs to be aged 60 days or more.
Must contain less than 45% moisture.
Must contain more than 50% milkfat.

What doesn't need to be disclosed on raw cheese labels

The temp the milk was heated to does NOT need to be on a cheese label.

The ingredients in the cheese need to be on the label (for example: milk, salt, cultures, rennet). But not necessarily the nitty gritty ingredients:

The type of enzymes (or rennet) used and the origin of those enzymes (animal, plant, or microbial) do NOT need to be listed. A label can simply say "enzymes" or "rennet".
The exact strains used in the culture does NOT need to be listed. A cheese label typically says "cultures".
Any additives in the culture or rennet do NOT need to be listed (things like propylene glycol, maltodextrin, dyes, etc)

Why mozzarella simply cannot be truly raw

I see folks out there selling "raw" mozzarella. Sure they might be starting out by culturing raw milk not heated above 110F. But a true raw mozzarella is simply not possible, and here's why.

When you make mozzarella cheese, you culture milk with the specific mozzarella strains. Then, you separate the curds and whey. And finally, you need to stretch the curd.

In order to stretch the curd, you need to put the curd in very hot water. The minimum temp for this to happen is 165F. And that curd needs to be fully heated to that temp in order to stretch.

In short, raw mozzarella is NOT a thing.

Why Miller's raw cheeses are truly raw

When one of our A2/A2 cheeses says "raw", we mean it. The milk is only heated enough so the cheese cultures can thrive, and that's never past 110F.

Plus, we also give you the nitty gritty details in the product description for each cheese. That includes:

The type of rennet
The exact cultures
Any additives in any ingredient used in the cheesemaking process

At Miller's Bio Farm, we take our job of providing you with truly natural food seriously. We give you so much info on our site, so you can be a smart natural food shopper. And, if there's any info you can't find but would like to know, please reach out. We're happy to help!

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Resources

Why meat from stressed animals tastes worse (and it’s also inhumane).

Have you ever noticed that some meat tastes way different from a different farm's (or supermarket’s) meat... even when they boast the same farming practices? Why is that? Would it surprise you that the animals' welfare plays a vital role in the meat they produce? For some of us, this is common knowledge. But many still don’t realize the extent of suffering some animals are put through at the farm where they are raised (if you can even call some of them farms). Let’s look at some common living conditions on conventional farms: Imagine the life of these animals... they're ultimately locked up with nowhere to go, fed with the cheapest feed their owner can source. It's pretty far from "natural". They live in a stressed environment every day, but... The most stressful time for these animals is the slaughterhouse. There are a few reasons why: Transport. Animals like consistency, not travel. The farther and longer they travel on a truck or train, the more stressed they become. Many conventional animals travel days to reach the processor.Being in an unknown environment. When an animal is moved to a new environment, their fight or flight stress response kicks in.Chaotic or rough handling: With beef cattle and pigs, they might be shoved by humans if they need to move to a new yard. With chickens, they might be thrown. And, they often need to shove their way to get food from a trough.Long waiting time: When conventional animals are sent to the processor, they are often kept there for days (or even weeks). Studies show that the longer the animal remains at the processor, they produce lower quality stressed meat than animals quickly slaughtered after arriving.Knowing what's going to happen: At some processors, animals can see other animals being killed. This causes massive stress spikes in the animals. Miller's does it all humanely. At Miller’s Bio Farm, our animals for meat live happily and free on the pasture their whole life. Foraging fresh grass and plants in the summer. While getting dry feed in the colder months when the pasture isn’t flourishing. You can see pictures and read more about our farming practices here. However, the reality is we still have to kill animals to produce meat. But we aim to keep it as quick and humane as we possibly can. Our animals are slaughtered the day they arrive, mitigating the high stress conventional beef or pork would have spending days in a slaughter house. Our processor makes the process low stress and humane by giving the animals room and privacy. Here's what slaughter is like: Beef: Each beef is brought in individually to the slaughter room where they are shot with a bullet, quickly striking them down. Pork: Each pig is brought in individually. They are quickly stunned with an air gun, instantly rendering them unconscious. Chicken: They are hung in a cone, which calms them down. Then their throat is slit, instantly killing them. So what's the science behind meat and stress? When an animal gets stressed, their adrenaline and cortisol start to rise. Their body (like ours) uses glycogen, a stored energy to create this adrenaline. With low-stress slaughter, this glycogen isn’t depleted. Instead, it’s retained in the muscle meat post slaughter then converted into lactic acid. This is what helps keep the meat low in pH, tender, and more flavorful. However when under high stress, the glycogen is used up for hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, raising the pH of the meat and affecting the quality of the meat. When meat has high pH, oxygen cannot diffuse deep into the muscle. Making the meat coarse, retain more water that is lost when cooking, lessen shelf life, and still appear pink even when cooked thoroughly. Stress affects everyone differently. And this goes for animals as well. Stressed pigs typically makes pork more acidic, pale, and crumbly. This results in what is known in the industry as “pale, soft, exudative” (PSE). Meat that is practically unsellable. Conventional farms tackle this stressed unsellable meat by mixing it into ground meat. Why improve living and slaughtering conditions when you can improve your profits? As for other meats like beef, high stress meat is usually tough, dry, and acidic. Just like PSE meat it has a much shorter shelf life also. This meat is known as “DFD” (dark, firm, dry). Again, this is a result of glycogen being depleted to fuel the stress state the animal is in. However, you can also still get PSE beef and DFD pork, too. An an example, here's what pork in each state looks like. You are what you eat. You’ve probably heard this saying before. When it comes to stressed meat, it’s absolutely true. Studies have shown that the high levels of stress hormones in meat can have a negative effect on humans, including increased risk of cardiovascular disease, impaired immune function, and even cause various forms of cancer! This is the hidden cost of mass produced meat. What is most important about your meat? Does the welfare of animals stress you out? ----- Sources Effects of Pre-Slaughter Stress on Meat Characteristics and Consumer ExperienceAdverse effects on consumer’s health caused by hormones administered in cattleThe Effect of Stress on Livestock and Meat Quality Prior to and During Slaughter The effect of pH on beef eating quality *Editing and visual content by Marie Reedell.

Is your raw cheese actually raw? Or has it been greenwashed?

How heating milk past 110F alters digestibility and nutrition

Why milk needs to be heated to make cheese

The legal regulations for raw cheese

What doesn't need to be disclosed on raw cheese labels

Why mozzarella simply cannot be truly raw

Why Miller's raw cheeses are truly raw

More from the blog

Here's how we test our raw cow milk on site. Cleanliness so important!

Why meat from stressed animals tastes worse (and it’s also inhumane).

Ever wonder why our food costs more? Here are the 5 big reasons why.

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Miller's Bio Farm, 523 Valley Road, Quarryville, PA 17566