FDA, Health Canada opens public comment period for cheese made with raw milk

Feb 12, 2013

Consuming raw-milk cheese raises the risk of contracting Listeria

The debate into the safety of raw milk or dairy products made with raw milk is often a contentious one. According to a joint risk assessment drafted by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada, found that people are up to 160 times more likely to contract Listeria from consuming soft-ripened cheese made from raw milk, compared to cheese that was made with pasteurized milk.

The FDA and Health Canada have since published its assessment for public comment for both U.S and Canadian citizens to participate. The comment period closes April 29, 2013.

The findings suggest that there is one case of listeriosis that can be linked to raw-milk cheese for every 55 million servings of raw-milk cheese that has been consumed, compared to pasteurized cheese it’s one case to every 8.64 billion servings.

U.S citizens can participate in the public comment period by submitting comments electronically – through the docket FDA-2012-N-1182 on regulations.gov. Canadian citizens can find out more information through Government of Canada website.

Video: LALEXPERT: Sclerotinia cycle and prophylactic methods

White rot, also known as sclerotinia, is a common agricultural fungal disease caused by various virulent species of Sclerotinia. It initially affects the root system (mycelium) before spreading to the aerial parts through the dissemination of spores.

Sclerotinia is undoubtedly a disease of major economic importance, and very damaging in the event of a heavy attack.

All these attacks come from the primary inoculum stored in the soil: sclerotia. These forms of resistance can survive in the soil for over 10 years, maintaining constant contamination of susceptible host crops, causing symptoms on the crop and replenishing the soil inoculum with new sclerotia.