The Dignified Whey

FDA bans Mimolette:

“Illegal food: step away from the cheese, ma’am

While French cheese may still be the Holy Grail for many food lovers, getting hold of it everywhere in the world can be tricky, thanks to global food regulations.

Last week, the United States put a blockade on mimolette, the brightly colored orange cheese that traditionally hails from Lille. To refine the flavour of the cheese, mites are deliberately introduced, a practice that up until now has not caused a problem. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has claimed, however, that the tiny organisms could cause allergic reactions and halted the sale of Mimolette , outraging French producers and importers of the cheese in the US.

In fact, in the US the FDA has a strict ban on the import of unpasteurised, raw-milk cheese, less than 60 days old. Australia and New Zealand have similar restrictions, and in Scotland, raw milk itself is banned outright, offending cheese lovers and producers alike. Traditional foods and delicacies aren’t just part of local food cultures, often – and especially in the modern era when words such as “artisan” carry a lot of culinary weight – they are a way into the global market for small-scale producers.

Concern over trade barriers is so strong, that farm products are a central part of the discussions around creating a trade agreement between the US and the European Union. Whether that will support small-scale, traditional producers or whether it will force them to conform to more global regulations remains to be seen.

When it comes to food bans, French cheese isn’t the only culprit. Producers of local specialties often miss out due to import regulations. Here are a few delicacies from around the world that are either banned or have been, and why.

Read more here.

Photo credit: Formaggio Kitchen