Slow Food USA: American Raw Milk Cheese Presidium

Protocol for Presidium Members

LAND We manage our land so that it remains productive for future generations. We adopt practices that:

Maintain and increase soil fertility;

Maintain and improve groundwater quality;

Maintain and foster biodiversity.

If we do not produce our own milk, we purchase milk only from dairies that manage their land as described above.

ANIMALS Healthy, well treated animals produce the highest quality milk. Our animals are fed, housed, managed, and treated ethically and humanely. We follow existing and developing humane treatment standards that pertain to the livestock we keep. At a minimum:

We select livestock for their longevity, health, milk quality, and other attri­butes that contribute to their well being and to the flavor of their milk. We do not limit our selection to productivity alone;

We minimize confinement. While climate, weather, or land management concerns may dictate that animals be housed from time to time, confine­ment is an exception and not the norm;

We do not give our animals hormones for increased milk production or for growth. Antibiotics and other medication will only be used therapeutically, for individual animals as required;

We seek to eliminate GMOs from the diets of our animals by using organic feed when economically viable, and intentionally minimize use of grain mixes which may include genetically modified species;

We do not feed our livestock any animal products or by-products with the exception of milk or whey;

The HACCP plans we develop as part of this Presidium include monitoring for animal diseases that may affect humans, as described in Appendix A.

If we do not maintain our own animals, we will purchase milk only from farms that treat their livestock as described above.

MILK High quality milk is needed to produce high quality cheese. The milk we use meets all federal and state health and quality requirements and standards and in addition, conforms to the following criteria:

All the milk we use is traceable to its source;

All milk is utilized within 40 hours of milking;

Milk is never pasteurized or thermolized;

Milk is taken from animals during the season when they graze or browse freely. When climate, weather, or land management concerns dictate the use of silage, haylage, or other feed it will be obtained whenever possible from our own land or from regional, sustainably managed farms. Milk produced out of season or from imported feed will be the exception, and not the norm.

Milk is tested in accordance with our individual HACCP plans, as further described in Appendix A.

CHEESE MAKING We produce cheese by artisanal methods, using technology and equipment as helpful components of the cheesemaking process, but not as substitutes for human guidance and input. We ensure that all cheeses are safe for consumers by following production and testing parameters that meet or exceed existing government requirements. At a minimum:

Our cheeses are produced without using shortcuts, techniques, or additives to increase yield or shelf life at the expense of quality;

We prefer using traditional coagulants, such as animal or vegetable based rennet. We will label our cheeses to specify, without ambiguity, which coagulants we use;

We develop and use regional, proprietary, or terroir place names. We discourage the use of classical European place names, except as descriptors;

We do not sell any cheese aged less than what is required by federal law;

We institute and comply with a HACCP plan as described in Appendix A, and we obtain and maintain licensing as required by local, state, and federal regulations.

CHEESE QUALITY We consider cheesemaking an art and strive continu­ously to perfect our knowledge and skills. The cheeses to be promoted via this Presidium will have balanced flavors that express the complexity inherent in raw milk. Working with Slow Food USA, we will create a panel to:

Select new cheesemakers for admission to the Presidium, based on their fulfilling objective standards of balance and quality;

On an annual basis, review all cheeses represented by the Presidium with the aim of providing feedback to cheesemakers;

If needed, remove cheesemakers from the Presidium if they consistently fail to meet objective standards of balance and quality.

The panel will not in any way rate or rank cheeses; its aim will be solely to provide feedback that is useful to cheesemakers.

Raw Milk Cheesemakers' Association

Buy Local - Support American Raw Milk Cheesemakers

Mission

The human palate appreciates complexity. As artisan producers of raw milk cheese and as members of this Presidium, we are committed to making distinctive cheeses of complexity, high quality and safety, and with the depth of flavor that raw milk provides. We believe the following:

Cheeses attain the greatest complexity when they are produced through processes that stem from biological diversity;

Technology and scientific understanding can be used to guide and monitor rather than to control and dominate. By respecting the diversity in our soil, pastures and woodlands, our herds and flocks, and the raw milk from our animals, we can produce cheeses that are as nutritious, safe, and whole­some to consume as they are flavorful;

As makers of raw milk cheese, we assume responsibility for the safety of our product. We therefore endorse HACCP as a means to place such responsibility in our own hands. The specific processes, tests and frequency of testing will be determined by each producer and will evolve as our individual HACCP plans evolve. At a minimum, our HACCP plans will include the considerations and specific standards listed in Appendix A of this Protocol.

We are forming a Slow Food Presidium to preserve and advance the art of making raw milk cheese. The Presidium is a wholly voluntary association. As Presidium members, we work actively towards meeting the criteria listed in this Protocol. Each cheesemaker who becomes part of the Presidium commits to achieving all of the criteria listed in this document within six years of joining.

E-mail: info[at]rawmilkcheese[dot]org

American Raw Milk Cheese Presidium

Presidium Mission & Protocol for Presidium Members

July 2006

The American Raw Milk Cheese Presidium is a Slow Food Presidium designed to help protect endangered American raw milk cheeses and to encourage their production while adhering to a protocol consistent with the values of Slow Foods.  The mission and Protocol are written below.  The Presidium forms its own policies, however, the RMCA hosts and administers the Presidium through its independent Presidium committee.