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FDA Backs Down In Fight Over Aged Cheese
Forbes ^ | 06/10/2014 | Greg McNeil

Posted on 06/12/2014 9:48:28 AM PDT by Rusty0604

The FDA is backing away (at least temporarily) from a policy statement that declared cheese makers would no longer be able to age their cheese on wooden boards. The statement caused outrage in the artisan cheese community and consumers quickly came to the aid of the industry signing onto a petition and expressing their outrage through social media.

Today, the FDA claimed that it in fact had not issued a new policy, they stated:

““The FDA does not have a new policy banning the use of wooden shelves in cheese-making, nor is there any FSMA requirement in effect that addresses this issue.

Good for the FDA for backing down. Although it’s unfortunate that they are dodging accountability by claiming they did not change their policy.

The American Cheese Society released a .PDF version of the statement by FDA’s Branch Chief Monica Metz...“The use of wooden shelves, rough or otherwise, for cheese ripening does not conform to cGMP requirements...

This is also a lesson for people in other regulated industries. When government officials make pronouncements that don’t seem grounded in law or policy, and threaten your livelihood with an enforcement action, you must organize and fight back.

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Food
KEYWORDS:
The only reason they are backing off is that even liberals were complaining about the overreach.
1 posted on 06/12/2014 9:48:28 AM PDT by Rusty0604
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To: Rusty0604

If the FDA knew what was on the surface of most cheese anyway (look up cheese mites) they would likely ban it all.


2 posted on 06/12/2014 9:50:16 AM PDT by fwdude ( You cannot compromise with that which you must defeat.)
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To: Rusty0604

Score one for the little guy against Big Business.


3 posted on 06/12/2014 9:53:06 AM PDT by Tea Party Terrorist (Why work for a living when you can vote for a living?)
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To: Rusty0604
The statement caused outrage in the artisan cheese community

Wow, even the artisan cheese people have a "community". Whatever happened to using the term "industry"?

That rant over, I'm glad they backed down. Cheese is one of life's little joys.
4 posted on 06/12/2014 9:53:14 AM PDT by LostInBayport (When there are more people riding in the cart than there are pulling it, the cart stops moving...)
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To: Rusty0604
this was so ridiculous... how long has cheese been around? wine? bread? and they want to come and tell artisans how to do it? arrogance!

FDA better not move my cheese!

5 posted on 06/12/2014 9:54:09 AM PDT by latina4dubya (when i have money i buy books... if i have anything left, i buy 6-inch heels and a bottle of wine...)
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To: fwdude

Very few cheese are made with cheese mites.


6 posted on 06/12/2014 9:54:27 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: LostInBayport

They are probably just reloading. Maybe some people will get sick eating cheese.


7 posted on 06/12/2014 9:58:34 AM PDT by Rusty0604
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To: Tea Party Terrorist; SunkenCiv; neverdem; cogitator; Nachum
“The FDA does not have a new policy banning the use of wooden shelves in cheese-making, nor is there any FSMA requirement in effect that addresses this issue. “

But - Did you the FDA’s clever lie in those phrases?

The FDA did not “have” a policy (rule) “in place” banning cheese board aging => THEY WERE PLANNING ONE!

The FDA (FMSA) requirement is not “in effect” (today) => It was being written TO COME INTO EFFECT (later)!

Now? Those same bureaucrats are merely angry, hate-filled, and filled with the unfinished zeal of righteous indignation for having been thrawrted!

8 posted on 06/12/2014 9:59:46 AM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but socialists' ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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To: Robert A. Cook, PE

It is a photo-finish race as to which group I despise more: Bureaucrats, Politicians or Lawyers.

But perhaps these are just varying personae of the same insidious group.


9 posted on 06/12/2014 10:07:22 AM PDT by BwanaNdege ( "For those who have fought for it, Life bears a savor the protected will never know")
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To: Rusty0604

Looks like the FDA discovered what happens when you try to cut the cheese to the public.


10 posted on 06/12/2014 10:08:28 AM PDT by Jack Hammer
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To: Rusty0604
Backing down, for now.
They will find other ways to one day control all food production.

11 posted on 06/12/2014 10:12:56 AM PDT by BitWielder1 (Corporate Profits are better than Government Waste)
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To: Rusty0604

we already KNEW how cheesey the democracks are..but Id never have guessed that it might have some earthly value


12 posted on 06/12/2014 10:21:02 AM PDT by MeshugeMikey ( "Never, never, never give up". Winston Churchill)
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To: latina4dubya

To answer your question, cheese has been around for a very long time, probably in the neighborhood of 10,000 years.

It also used to routinely sicken and kill people by the hundreds or thousands. Here’s a link to some cases just since the 40s, and limited mostly to N. America.

http://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/a-look-at-the-safety-or-not-of-raw-milk-cheese-and-the-60-day-rule/#.U5nffHJdVIE

We have gotten so used to our food supply being safe that we take it for granted, as if it were a fact of life rather than something created by improvements in sanitation, better understanding of food safety, and, yes, regulations.

Which is not to say that all existing or proposed regulations are necessary and appropriate. Only that many of them are.

In China food preparation and processing is largely unregulated, in real terms, and horror stories pop up regularly.


13 posted on 06/12/2014 10:24:32 AM PDT by Sherman Logan
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To: BitWielder1
Backing down, for now.

The problem is that bureaucrats are hired to do a job. When the job is mostly complete, these same folks start worrying about their job security. They want to come to work everyday, or at least get a paycheck every two weeks, so, in fear, they look for ways to expand their scope and too often they overreach.

This seems to be one of those.

14 posted on 06/12/2014 10:24:33 AM PDT by Wingy
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To: Wingy

And the unions need more dues paying members to pay for Democrats elections.


15 posted on 06/12/2014 10:51:00 AM PDT by Rusty0604
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To: Rusty0604

Yeah, that too.


16 posted on 06/12/2014 10:57:07 AM PDT by Wingy
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To: Rusty0604

A look at all the things they have backed off of will give a good view of the tyranny they would inflict if left unopposed.


17 posted on 06/12/2014 11:18:35 AM PDT by aimhigh (1 John 3:23)
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To: Rusty0604

“They are probably just reloading. Maybe some people will get sick eating cheese.”

They’ll try to come in through the back door by limiting the number of rounds you can have on one board. (”Board” is just a cover word for “magazine”!)


18 posted on 06/12/2014 12:02:03 PM PDT by Repent and Believe (Promote good. Tolerate the harmless. Let evil be crushed.)
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