Posted on 04/17/2013 12:57:13 PM PDT by Teflonic
An FDA crackdown on the import of the French cheese mimolette has foodies crying foul.
“Isigny was alerted by importers that the cheese was being put on “FDA hold,” meaning it could not be moved from its arrival warehouse until further inspection. After that, he said, the cheese received the more damning label of “detained,” meaning it could not be sold in the U.S.
The reason given was that the inspectors found cheese mites in the rind, which can cause allergies, and which made the product “adulterated,” and consists of a “decomposed substance otherwise unfit for food.” (Mites, related to ticks, are tiny arthropods.) But using the microscopic cheese mites, de Vitton explained, is a vital part of the ripening process for the unique mimolette—which is “sweet,” with a “caramelized depth and smooth, fudgy finish,”
The cheese’s detention, de Vitton explained, leaves the company with three options: make it FDA compliant, send it back to France, or destroy the product completely. Destroying the cheese would be heartbreaking, he said, but sending it back has been difficult, since doing so requires special documentation from the FDA, which de Vitton says the agency has not provided.
“It’s like forbidding strawberries because some people are allergic to strawberries.” Mimolette is a cheese "everyone [in France] has in his fridge. It’s not a stinky cheese, it’s more delicate, almost like a very good cheddar.”
As far as the mites, she explained, “Almost any cloth-based cheese will have mites, it will draw these mites, which eat the outside which lets it breathe and mature properly.” But, with mimolette, “It’s treated to kill the mites before it’s shipped out of France,” so the FDA must have been looking very hard for the remaining microscopic creatures.
(Excerpt) Read more at shine.yahoo.com ...
Just like any other corrupt third-world bureaucracy, the FDA requires tribute before it will allow you to conduct your business.
Or maybe not.
/johnny
Look if it Aien’t Chedder, Colby, Mozzerella, Cottage, Blue, or Limberger I DON’T CARE!
FDA employees to take cheese home to test(taste)IT.
Do I really want to click on that link of yours?
You have to be pretty sophisticated to eat cheese with bugs!
Don’t you trust me? ;)
One has to wonder about the mental status of individuals who search the internet for videos like this...........yuck!
The federal goverment approved mites are much larger. 200 pounds or so. Sometimes with suit and tie.
OK, you’re off my cheese mite pinglist.
Bugs or not it’s delicious, the mites are part of the curing process.
You can tell your country is officially effed up when common sense has declined to the point where you have less than the French. ;)
Red food coloring such as is used in soft drinks, etc, is made from cochineal beetles. You don’t have to be too sophisticated to drink Big Red soda.
I wonder if the FDA has figured out that honey is bee barf?
Common. Who NEEDS cheese?
I like cheese.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.