Food and Drug Regulations

B.08.041.3 (1) [S]. Processed Cheese Spread

• (a) shall

  • (i) be the product made by comminuting and mixing one or more varieties of cheese, other than cream cheese, cottage cheese or whey cheese, into a homogeneous mass with the aid of heat, and

  • (ii) contain

    • (A) added milk or milk products,

    • (B) not less than 51 per cent cheese,

    • (C) not more than 60 per cent moisture, and

    • (D) not less than 20 per cent milk fat;

• (b) may contain

  • (i) water added to adjust the moisture content,

  • (ii) added milk fat,

  • (iii) salt, vinegar and sweetening agents,

  • (iv) one or more of the following colouring agents:

    • (A) in an amount consistent with good manufacturing practice, annatto, beta-carotene, chlorophyll, paprika, riboflavin, turmeric, and

    • (B) in an amount not exceeding 35 parts per million, either singly or in combination thereof, beta-apo-8’-carotenal, ethyl beta-apo-8’-carotenoate,

  • (v) the following emulsifying, gelling, stabilizing and thickening agents:

    • (A) ammonium carrageenan, calcium carrageenan, carob bean gum (locust bean gum), carrageenan, gelatin, guar gum, Irish Moss Gelose, potassium carrageenan, propylene glycol alginate, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (carboxymethyl cellulose, cellulose gum, sodium cellulose glycolate), sodium carrageenan, tragacanth gum, xanthan gum or a combination thereof in an amount not exceeding 0.5 per cent,

    • (B) calcium phosphate dibasic, potassium phosphate dibasic, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, sodium phosphate dibasic, sodium phosphate monobasic, sodium phosphate tribasic, sodium pyrophosphate tetrabasic, calcium citrate, potassium citrate, sodium citrate, sodium potassium tartrate, sodium tartrate, sodium gluconate or any combination thereof in an amount, when calculated as anhydrous salts, not exceeding 3.5 per cent in the case of phosphate salts and 4.0 per cent in total,

    • (C) lecithin in an amount not exceeding 0.2 per cent, and

    • (D) monoglycerides, mono- and diglycerides or any combination thereof in an amount not exceeding 0.5 per cent,

  • (v.1) calcium phosphate tribasic as an agent to improve colour, texture, consistency and spreadability, in an amount not exceeding 1 per cent,

  • (vi) acetic acid, calcium carbonate, citric acid, lactic acid, malic acid, phosphoric acid, potassium bicarbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate and tartaric acid as pH adjusting agents in an amount consistent with good manufacturing practice,

  • (vii) wood smoke as a preservative in an amount consistent with good manufacturing practice, and

  • (viii) the following preservatives:

    • (A) propionic acid, calcium propionate, sodium propionate or any combination thereof in an amount not exceeding 2,000 parts per million, calculated as propionic acid,

    • (B) sorbic acid, calcium sorbate, potassium sorbate, sodium sorbate, or any combination thereof in an amount not exceeding 3,000 parts per million, calculated as sorbic acid, or

    • (C) any combination of the preservatives named in clauses (A) and (B) in an amount not exceeding 3,000 parts per million, calculated as propionic acid and sorbic acid respectively.

(2) Only a cheese to which wood smoke has been added as permitted in subsection (1) may be described by the term “smoked” on a label.

(3) Where a cheese is labelled as permitted in subsection (2), the word “smoked” shall be shown on the principal display panel.