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

Ugh greenwashed labels. What does it take to get ___ on a label anyway?

Not a fan of the confusing, greenwashed labels in store? Yea, me too! And it's especially real for me, because I'm responsible for getting our labels approved with the "powers that be". Here's a little story with a big inside scoop... I made new labels for our bone broth a little while ago. It didn't go as smoothly as planned. Why? I put the little icons about our farming practices on them. They look like this: Yup, despite being 100% accurate and true, they were denied!! We're not allowed to put those statements on our food labels. So, I asked the USDA guy, "What would it take to get those claims on the labels, anyway?" The answer was kinda shocking. First off, there's some guidance on wording. Silly technicalities in my opinion. For example, you can't use the term "No Spray" but you can say "Produced without the use of synthetic pesticides." Or another example is that you can't say "No Routine Antibiotics or Vaccines" but you can say "Raised without routine use of antibiotics or vaccines." Second, the processor needs to update their documents to provide traceability. In other words, they need to document how they make sure the bones for our bone broth don't get mixed up with bones from other farms. I mean, this is pretty simple, especially with small batch foods like ours. But the documentation needs to be meticulous. Drafting it in government-approved language can be time consuming and/or costly. And lastly, once you get the wording and process right, you need proof. This was the real shocker for me: Want to know what proof would suffice for all the claims above? A 2-3 sentence affidavit (AKA a super short letter) signed by all farmers that supply us. That's it!? This lead me to a bunch of questions: What if a company submits a letter from one farmer but actually has other farmers that supply them, too? What if a company changes farmers? Will they submit new letters?What if a company's farmers change their practices in the future? Will they immediately update their labels?Are the "powers that be" checking on this? Is anyone checking on this?Is this why most farms and food facilities don't allow outside people coming in? It seems to me that, if a business isn't doing what the label says, the only way to find out is via a whistleblower. And the only way to make them stop is to take them to court. You know, like what's happening with Vital Farms and their pasture raised egg claim right now. It seems to me that, all that good natural stuff on labels - grass fed, pasture raised, antibiotic free, etc - doesn't mean it's true. Certifications are a little better, but the same kinda thing can be said about those, too. This is why, at Miller's, we choose to NOT sell in stores. No wholesale for us. In fact, we don't even have an on farm store. We only sell directly to our customers via our website. And, we choose to only get certified for what's required. This way, we can make our own natural standards. And, we can provide you will all the info and proof you need. Descriptions, photos, blog posts, test results, and more. So, what do you think? Should we do the affidavit thing to get claims on our bone broth labels? What proof do you need to feel confident in your food choices? I'd love to hear from you. Comment below (no account required - just start typing) or contact us 😊

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

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