--- title: Raw Milk Cheese Makers Look To FDA For Understanding date: 2009-05-11T11:28:45-07:00 author: Bill Marler canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/raw-milk-cheese-makers-look-to-fda-for-understanding" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / # Raw Milk Cheese Makers Look To FDA For Understanding The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) **“is currently conducting a risk analysis of the pathogen [Listeria](http://www.about-listeria.com/) monocytogenes in foods like dairy products, deli meats and fresh produce, and has encouraged raw milk cheesemakers to contribute data to the study. Their conclusions could vindicate or signal the end of raw milk cheese production.”** So says **Plenty Magazine** on the **Mother Nature Network.** From reading the article one is left with the impression that something called the Raw Milk Cheesemakers’ Association is on the brink of convincing FDA that raw milk cheese prepared properly **is not a risk.** We know it is a risk and we doubt seriously if FDA is going to come down on the raw milk cheese is safe side. Roll back seven weeks ago. FDA sent its Plant and Dairy Food Safety director, John F. Sheehan, up to Congress to specifically address the raw milk issue. **“Raw milk should not be consumed by anyone, at any time, for any reason,”** Sheehan told lawmakers. In his 18-page prepared testimony, Sheehan specifically addressed the raw milk cheese issue. He said: “Pasteurization is required for all milk and milk products in final package form intended for direct human consumption which move in interstate commerce. (21 CFR 1240.61) **The only exceptions to this requirement are for certain cheeses and those exceptions are no absolute but come with certain other requirements relative to the manner by which any raw milk cheese must be ripened**. In promulgating this regulation, FDA made a number of findings relative to raw milk, including the following: “Raw milk, no matter how carefully produced, may be unsafe” **Plenty Magazine** explains the status quo this way: **“The laws governing American raw milk cheese production, which stipulate that any cheese intended for eating before it is 60 days old must be pasteurized, were implemented in 1949 in the belief that only aged, raw milk cheeses were suitable for consumption.** Since then, the FDA has repeatedly proposed banning all raw milk products, including aged cheeses, amid lingering fears that they’re inherently more dangerous than their pasteurized counterparts.” Sheehan’s testimony before the Health & Government Operations Committee can be found [here.](http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~acrobat/rawmilk4.pdf) The Plenty Magazine story in the Mother Nature Network is [here.](http://www.mnn.com/food/stories/raw-milk-cheese-risky-food) It includes a list of places to buy aged raw milk cheese now (before it is outlawed?). ### Other Listeria Lawsuits [Clover Hill Dairy Cheese sickens 12 with Listeria - 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The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ Get a free consultation ](https://marlerclark.com/contact) ##### Related Resources ###### [Listeria Food Poisoning](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/about-listeria) What is Listeria and how does it cause food poisoning? Listeria is a gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium that is ubiquitous and can grow under either anaerobic (without oxygen) or aerobic (with... ###### [The Incidence of Listeria Infections](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/the-incidence-of-listeria-infections) How common are Listeria infections? Listeria bacteria are found widely in the environment in soil, including in decaying vegetation and water, and may be part of the fecal flora of... ###### [The Prevalence of Listeria in Food and the Environment](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/listeria-prevalence) Listeria bacteria are common in nature. Listeria monocytogenes is omnipresent in nature; it is found widely in such places as water, soil, infected animals, human and animal feces, raw and... ###### [Transmission of and Infection with Listeria](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria/transmission-of-and-infection-with-listeria) Listeria typically spreads to people through contaminated food or water, but can also be transmitted from mother to fetus. 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