Agricultural Product Standards Act, 1990 (Act No. 119 of 1990)

Regulations

Classification, Packing and Marking of Dairy Products and Imitation Dairy Products intended for sale in the Republic of South Africa

Part I : Dairy Products

13. Standards for cheese with or without added foodstuff
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(1) Cheese with or without added foodstuff is the ripened (matured) or unripened soft, semisoft, semi-hard or hard product, which may be coated, and in which the whey protein/casein ratio does not exceed that of milk. Cheese other than whey cheese shall be obtained by—
(a)coagulating wholly or partly the protein of milk (high fat, full fat, low fat or fat free), reconstituted dried milk, recombined milk, cream, butter milk, or any combination of these products, through the action of rennet or other suitable coagulating agents, with or without partially draining the whey resulting from the coagulation, and which will result in a concentration of milk protein (in particular, the casein portion), and that consequently, the protein content of the cheese will be distinctly higher than the protein level of the blend of the afore-mentioned milk products from which the cheese was made; and/or
(b) processing techniques involving coagulation of the protein of milk and/or products obtained from milk which give an end-product with similar physical, chemical and organoleptic characteristics as the product defined under paragraph (a).

 

(2)

(a) Whey cheese shall be obtained by—
(i) concentrating whey with or without the addition of milk and milk fat, and moulding such concentrated whey; or
(ii) coagulating whey with or without the addition of milk and milk fat: Provided that only vinegar or sour whey may be used to aid coagulation of the whey.
(b)Whey cheese obtained through the coagulation of whey may either be ripened (matured) or unripened.
(c) In the case of whey cheese the class designation shall be preceded by the expression "whey".

 

(3) Cheese may be coated prior to the ripening, during the ripening process or when the ripening has been finished with the following:
(a) A film, for example polyvinylacetate, other artificial material or material composed of natural ingredients, which helps to regulate the humidity during ripening and protects the cheese against microorganisms (e.g. ripening films).
(b) A layer, mostly wax, paraffin or a plastic, which normally is impermeable to moisture, to protect the cheese after ripening against microorganisms and against physical damage during retail handling.

 

(4) Subject to the provisions of sub-regulation (8), cheese with or without added foodstuff not provided for in Tables 11 and 12 shall comply with the compositional standards applicable to the class concerned as set out in Table 10.

 

(5) In the case of cheese with added foodstuff, the minimum milk fat in dry matter content may be up to 10 per cent less than that specified in Tables 10 and 11 for the class of cheese concerned.

 

(6) In the case where an accelerated ripening period method is used, the prescribed minimum ripening period for the class concerned shall not apply: Provided that the class of cheese concerned shall have physical, chemical and organoleptic properties similar to that of cheese that was subjected to a natural ripening process.

 

(7) When cheese with or without added foodstuff is presented for sale as slices, shredded or grated, the class designation shall be preceded by the appropriate description: Provided that if the contents of the container is clearly visible and easily identifiable from the outside, such description may be omitted.

 

(8) Imported cheese with or without added foodstuff which has been registered as a Geographical Indication (GI), and which originates from—
(a) a member country within the European Union shall comply with the compositional standards set out in Table 12 for the named cheese concerned; and
(b) a member country of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), excluding those countries that are members of the European Union, shall comply with the compositional standards registered for the GI named cheese concerned in the country of origin.