Did you know that every time you eat Parmigiano Reggiano you are eating a raw milk cheese? Gruyere and Roquefort too. These delicious cheeses have been made for hundreds of years and have been enjoyed by cheese lovers all over the world. One thing we have noticed is there seems to be some confusion among many of you as to whether raw milk cheese is legal in the US. We hear the surprise all the time, "I didn't know we can have raw milk cheese here!" The laws are pretty straight forward. Raw milk cheese is currently legal to produce and import as long as it is aged for at least 60 days. While this exempts us from younger, softer cheeses being made with raw milk we do find we have plenty of raw milk cheese options to enjoy. But wouldn't it be great if we could have the freedom to enjoy all cheeses made with raw milk like authentic Normandy Camembert, Reblochon or Chevrotin? 

There is a lot of incorrect information out there. The media, in general. does not understand the difference between raw fluid milk and cheese. They have ignored the scientific facts and the safety track record of raw milk CHEESE in order to fearmonger and sensationalize news stories. Cheese enjoys a solid track record compared to other foods which are far more likely to cause food borne illness. Seafood, meat and salad vegetables sicken more people every year than cheese. When there is a cheese recall, the pasteurized varieties are more often the culprit. Oldways Cheese Coalition is an organization that has been formed to help educate, raise awareness and protects our rights to enjoy raw milk cheese. On Saturday, April 22nd the world is celebrating Raw Milk Cheese Appreciation Day and we are joining the fun with tastings at our counters. We hope you will join us for a special tasting from 12pm-4pm  and let us share some of our favorite examples of raw milk cheese. Bring your questions. We welcome the conversation. We want cheese lovers everywhere to be aware and help us protect our right to real, traditional and healthy cheese.

Laura, Chris and Our Cheesemonger Staff