Milk and cheese

Consulta Pública para proyecto de ley que establece normas sobre elaboración, denominación y etiquetado de productos lácteos o derivados de la leche (Public consultation for draft legislation setting out rules on the preparation, description and labelling of milk products or products deriving from milk) (4 pages, in Spanish)

The purpose of the notified draft legislation is to protect consumer health. The draft law establishing rules on the marketing and labelling of milk proposes to ensure such protection by improving milk handling requirements, by enhancing transparency and reliability for consumers, and by recognizing specific elements pertaining to the work of national milk producers, through the inclusion of (i) appellations of origin, (ii) information on each of the components of the milk product, and (iii) information on the various processing stages. Furthermore, the draft law establishing rules on the preparation, description and labelling of milk products or products deriving from milk, proposes the inclusion of a single article introducing the following measures:

1.   Definition of milk. A new definition has been created for milk. "Milk" shall be understood to mean "(...) the colostrum-free liquid product resulting from the complete and uninterrupted milking of healthy, well-fed and well-rested cows". Definition of reconstituted milk and requirements for milk products containing reconstituted milk. A new definition has been created for reconstituted milk. This product shall be considered as "(...) the product obtained entirely or in part from a milk product, which is similar to or may be used as a substitute for liquid milk, especially by adding drinking water to concentrated milk or powdered milk, in such a proportion as to meet the requirements established in Article 203" (Article 203 of the Food Health Regulations). A number of requirements are established concerning the production process. These basically concern (i) the need for a pasteurization, UHT treatment or sterilization process, (ii) the need to record the product's origin, (iii) the need to indicate the amount of milk processed, reconstituted and marketed, and (iv) the need to indicate the amount of milk product used in its production.

With regard to package labelling, the description "Milk enhanced with reconstituted powdered milk" has been introduced, as well as requirements for establishments producing this product.

3. Definition of cheese. This product is defined as "(...) the product, whether matured or not matured, or solid or semi-solid, obtained by curdling non-reconstituted skimmed or semi-skimmed liquid milk, or cream, whey cream, cheese whey or butter whey, properly pasteurized, or a combination of these products, using rennet or other appropriate curdling agents (authorized specific enzymes or organic acids), and by partially separating the whey produced as a result of such curdling". 4. Requirements for the preparation and labelling of milk products not deriving from cows. For products that use liquid milk not from cows, the species of origin of the milk must be indicated. The text also bans products that use "reconstituted milk" as a raw material from being labelled as "cheese"; instead, the description "Milk product similar to cheese" or "Cheese-substitute milk product" must be used.