FDA, Health Canada opens public comment period for cheese made with raw milk

Feb 12, 2013

Consuming raw-milk cheese raises the risk of contracting Listeria

The debate into the safety of raw milk or dairy products made with raw milk is often a contentious one. According to a joint risk assessment drafted by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada, found that people are up to 160 times more likely to contract Listeria from consuming soft-ripened cheese made from raw milk, compared to cheese that was made with pasteurized milk.

The FDA and Health Canada have since published its assessment for public comment for both U.S and Canadian citizens to participate. The comment period closes April 29, 2013.

The findings suggest that there is one case of listeriosis that can be linked to raw-milk cheese for every 55 million servings of raw-milk cheese that has been consumed, compared to pasteurized cheese it’s one case to every 8.64 billion servings.

U.S citizens can participate in the public comment period by submitting comments electronically – through the docket FDA-2012-N-1182 on regulations.gov. Canadian citizens can find out more information through Government of Canada website.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.