Wisconsin Congressman Ron Kind has once again introduced the bipartisan Codifying Useful Regulatory Definitions, or CURD Act, which would create a formal definition of 'natural cheese to ensure consumers are fully informed when purchasing cheese.
The La Crosse Democrat says the term natural cheese is historically used to identify cheeses made directly from milk and distinguish those products from process cheeses.
"Here in America's Dairyland, we're proud of the international award-winning, high quality cheese made in the state," Kind said. "We need to ensure customers have the information they need to keep purchasing the quality Wisconsin cheese families have enjoyed for generations. Especially during June Dairy Month, I'm glad to introduce legislation to address this issue and make sure Wisconsin cheese can continue to be labeled as natural cheese."
John Umhoefer of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association says the legislation makes it clear that cheesemakers in Wisconsin and around the country can continue to use the term natural cheese on their product labels and that the effort preserves the industry's ability to use this term to describe cheese made naturally with fresh milk and dairy ingredients.
Categories: Wisconsin, Livestock, Dairy Cattle