Food and Drug Regulations

B.08.034 (1) [S]. Cheddar Cheese

• (a) shall

  • (i) be the product made by coagulating milk, milk products or a combination thereof with the aid of bacteria to form a curd and subjecting the curd to

    • (A) the cheddar process, or

    • (B) any process other than the cheddar process that produces a cheese having the same physical, chemical and organoleptic properties as those of cheese produced by the cheddar process, and

  • (ii) contain

    • (A) not more than 39 per cent moisture, and

    • (B) not less than 31 per cent milk fat; and

• (b) may contain

  • (i) salt,

  • (ii) flavouring preparations other than cheese flavouring,

  • (iii) bacterial cultures to aid further ripening,

  • (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) calcium chloride as a firming agent in an amount not exceeding 0.02 per cent of the milk and milk products used,

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

  • (vii) the following preservatives:

    • (A) propionic acid, calcium propionate, sodium propionate or a 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 a combination thereof in an amount not exceeding 3,000 parts per million calculated as sorbic acid,

    • (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, or

    • (D) natamycin applied to the surface of the cheese in an amount that does not exceed 20 parts per million or, if the cheese is grated or shredded, 10 parts per million, and

  • (viii) in the case of grated or shredded cheddar cheese, calcium silicate, microcrystalline cellulose or cellulose, or a combination of them, as an anticaking agent, the total amount not to exceed 2.0 per cent.

(2) No person shall, in the manufacture of the cheddar cheese, use any enzyme other than

• (a) lipase, pepsin, rennet, milk coagulating enzymes derived from Rhizomucor miehei (Cooney and Emerson) (previous name: Mucor miehei (Cooney and Emerson)), Mucor pusillus Lindt or Aspergillus oryzae RET-1 (pBoel777), aminopeptidase derived from Lactococcus lactis, Chymosin A derived from Escherichia coli K-12, GE81 (pPFZ87A) or Chymosin B derived from Aspergillus niger var. awamori, GCC0349 (pGAMpR) or from Kluyveromyces marxianus var. lactis, DS1182 (pKS105);

• (b) protease derived from Aspergillus oryzae; and

• (c) lysozyme derived from egg white.

(2.1) No person shall use an enzyme referred to in subsection (2) at a level of use above that consistent with good manufacturing practice.

(3) Where a flavouring preparation is added to a cheese as permitted in subsection (1), the words “with (naming the flavouring preparation)” shall be added to the common name in any label.

(4) 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.

(5) Where a cheese is labelled as permitted in subsection (4), the word “smoked” shall be shown on the principal display panel.