LibGuides: Safe Cheesemaking Hub: Getting Started

What's In This Guide

Getting Started
Food Safety Publications
Most Frequently Used Resources
Learn more about FSMA
Search Resources

Search ACS Virtual Library

Online Education
Online Courses
Instructional Videos
Map of Dairy Food Safety Resources in the USA
Regional Support and Education

Courses and Workshops
Extension Programs
Dairy Research Centers
Regulatory Agencies by State
Guilds

Government Resources
Templates
Get a head start on your Food Safety Plan with FSMA-compliant templates.
FAQs
Spanish Language Resources
Retailers Toolkit
Glossary

Useful Websites

Cheese Science Toolkit
A technical resource for cheesemongers, cheese buyers, and cheese connoisseurs.
MicrobialFoods.org
A scientific resource for producers, purveyors, and enthusiasts of artisan microbial foods.

The Microbiology of Cheese

FAQ: Microbes Make the Cheese
A report produced by the American Academy of Microbiology based on a colloquium held in June 2014. The report focuses on the microbiology of cheese and provides in-depth answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about cheese.
A Visual Guide to the Microbiology of Natural-Rind Cheese
From MicrobialFoods.org. An illustrated guide to common bacteria, yeasts, and molds found on cheeses with natural rinds.

How to Use Safe Cheesemaking Hub

Welcome to the

Safe Cheesemaking Hub

Welcome to the Safe Cheesemaking Hub! This is a compendium of food safety resources selected and organized to help cheesemakers easily find the information they need.

Learn More About: Food Safety Plans for Small-Scale Cheesemakers

Penn State University: Food Safety Plans for Small Scale Cheesemakers
The Penn State Extension Food Safety Plans for Small-Scale Cheesemakers was developed because many food safety documents currently available are aimed at larger processors and do not meet the needs of smaller-scale processors and the unique requirements for raw milk cheesemakers.

The tool includes:
- “Guide for Implementing a Food Safety System in Small-Scale and Raw Milk Cheese Plants" that provides an overview of what is needed and how to approach setting up a food safety system and conducting a hazard analysis
- “Food Safety Plan for Raw Milk Gouda Cheese Teaching Example" that provides a comprehensive hazard analysis that can be adapted by cheesemakers
- A blank template for building a Food Safety Plan

FSMA-Compliant Templates

FSMA Compliant Templates
The Artisan Dairy Producer Food Safety Initiative, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and spearheaded by WCMA and the Center for Dairy Research, has created a range of templates that are FSMA Compliant, and designed to be used by cheesemakers. Access the templates here.

More Cheesemaking Resources

The Cheese Reporter: Books and Videos
Find books and videos on cheese and dairy technology in the Cheese Reporter Library.

Cheese and Microbes by Catherine Donnelly
A scientific overview of the association of microbes with cheese, through the lens of select cheese varieties that result due to surface mold ripening, internal mold ripening, rind washing, cave aging, or surface smear rind development.
American Farmstead Cheese by Paul Kindstedt
A guide to cheesemaking history, technique, artistry, and business strategies.
Better Butter by Bob Bradley
Better Butter offers insight into the art of quality butter manufacture.
Farmstead and Artisan Cheeses by Barbara Reed; L. J. Butler; Ellen L. Rilla; University of California (System), Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Staff (Contribution by)
A resource for those interested in starting a small-scale creamery.

ACS Best Practices Guide for Cheesemakers

American Cheese Society Best Practices Guide for Cheesemakers
An easy reference for busy cheesemakers-especially small- to mid-size producers. This guide highlights the key requirements, suggestions, and practices. Condensed into an easily digestible format, and written in accessible language.

Food Safety Publications

Control of Listeria Monocytogenes Guidance for the U.S. Dairy Industry
Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy publication on Listeria Control.
Dairy Practices Council Guidelines
A series of publications by the Dairy Practices Council with practical, peer reviewed information about GMPs.
Good Manufacturing Practices from Penn State
A guide to GMPs from Penn State with illustrations.
Grocery Manufacturers Association Salmonella Guidance Document
A series of guidance documents written by the GMA for the control of Salmonella when manufacturing low-moisture foods.

The International Dairy Federation (IDF) has created a number of Fact Sheets on topics related to safe cheesemaking, from the use of wood boards to raw milk. A full listing can be found below.

IDF Factsheets

Use of Wood In Cheese Ripening
The International Dairy Federation 2016 Factsheet on the use of wood in cheese ripening.

Joint FDA / Health Canada Quantitative Assessment of the Risk of Listeriosis from Soft-Ripened Cheese Consumption in the United States and Canada: Draft Interpretative Summary
A report that summarizes an assessment of the risk posed by L. monocytogenes in these products. The assessment provides estimates of that risk and of the effectiveness of measures designed to reduce it. The results provide risk managers with science-based information to use in making decisions about food policies meant to protect the public from foodborne illness.

HARPC vs. PCHF? What's the difference?

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act is a set of rulings that that seek to strengthen the food safety system. FSMA is comprised of 7 rules:

Accredited Third-Party Certification Rule
Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) for Importers of Food for Humans and Animals Rule
Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration Rule
Preventive Controls for Food for Animals Rule
Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule
Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food Rule
Standards for Produce Safety Rule

The Preventive Controls For Human Food (PCHF) is one component of the legislation, and can be found in 21 CFR 117, “Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk Based Preventive Controls for Human Food” (HARPC). The ruling outlines updated and revised requirements for current good manufacturing practice for human food (CGMPs), for hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls for human food (PCHF), and related requirements. For consistency across the industry, ACS shall be using PCHF in place of HARPC on this website as it is the preferred term.