The Board of Food Standards Australia New Zealand gives notice of the making of this standard under section 92 of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991.

The Standard commences on 1 March 2016.

Dated 25 March 2015

Standards Management Officer, Delegate of the Board of Food Standards Australia New Zealand.

Note 1 This instrument is a standard under the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 (Cth). The standards together make up the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. See also section 1.1.1—3.

Note 2 The provisions of the Code that apply in New Zealand are incorporated in, or adopted under, the Food Act 2014 (NZ). See also section 1.1.1—3.

Note 3 In Australia, dairy products must be processed in accordance with Standard 4.2.4.

2.5.4—1 Name

This Standard is Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code – Standard 2.5.4 – Cheese.

Note Commencement: This Standard commences on 1 March 2016, being the date specified as the commencement date in notices in the Gazette and the New Zealand Gazette under section 92 of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 (Cth). See also section 93 of that Act.

2.5.4—2 Definitions

Note In this Code (see section 1.1.2—3):

cheese means:

(a) the ripened or unripened solid or semi-solid milk product, whether coated or not, that is obtained by one or both of the following processes:

(i) wholly or partly coagulating milk, or materials obtained from milk, or both, through the action of rennet or other suitable coagulating agents, and partially draining the whey which results from such coagulation;

(ii) processing techniques involving concentration or coagulation of milk, or materials obtained from milk, or both, which give an end-product with similar physical, chemical and organoleptic characteristics as the product described in subparagraph (a)(i); or

(b) such a product with any of the following additional ingredients added during production:

(i) water;

(ii) lactic acid producing microorganisms;

(iii) flavour producing microorganisms;

(iv) gelatine;

(v) starch;

(vi) vinegar;

(vii) salt;

(viii) tall oil phytosterol esters added in accordance with this Standard.

processed cheese means a product manufactured from cheese and products obtained from milk, which is heated and melted, with or without added emulsifying salts, to form a homogeneous mass.

2.5.4—3 Requirement for food sold as cheese

A food that is sold as cheese or processed cheese must be cheese or processed cheese as appropriate.

2.5.4—4 Compositional requirement for tall oil phytosterol esters in cheese

Tall oil phytosterol esters may only be added to cheese or to processed cheese if:

(a) the cheese or processed cheese contains no more than 12 g total fat/100 g; and

(b) the tall oil phytosterol ester is added at no less than 70 g/kg and no more than 90 g/kg.