Photograph by Denis Vahey
A new dairy label may be coming to a grocery shelf near you. Responsible Antibiotic Use (RAU) is the newest proposed category of fluid milk that would only allow farmers to use antibiotics to treat sick cows, not as preventative or growth enhancing treatment. Antibiotic use has come under fire in recent years due to the fear of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but some people say the stringent antibiotic ban in organic farming can actually lead to worse animal welfare conditions. This new proposed category would allow animals to receive necessary treatment, while signaling to the consumer antibiotics were not used in excess, making it a win-win!
- Chicago Reader spoke to cheesemonger Alisha Norris Jones (aka @immortalmilk) about what it was like starting her own cheese board business during the pandemic, being a Black monger in a predominantly white space, and how she’s found her cheese joy again.
- The CDC has issued a report linking 16 cases of listeria to deli meats and cheeses in six states: N.Y., Md., N.J. Mass., Ill., and Calif.
- Due to climate change, some economists are predicting that dairy herds will move inland and away from coasts where land is cheaper and water is more plentiful.
- Southerners are justifiably obsessed with pimiento cheese, and Columbia, S.C. claims to be where it all started, according to Southern Living magazine.
- Who needs to build a fire when you can just pop on the TV and zen out to the sights and sounds of a crackling fire and a cheeseboard that never gets empty?! Created by Unbottled, the Cheese Channel highlights local cheeses made in Utah and Idaho and plays round-the-clock cheeseboard content, perfect for setting the mood at your next gathering.
- Being a cheesemonger can at times feel like a thankless job. Which is why Adam Moskowitz created the Cheesemonger Invitational as a way to award and recognize the hard work that goes into helping customers select the perfect piece of cheese. “[Cheesemongers] are food fear therapists, terroir tour guides, sensory Svengalis and pastoral promoters,” said Moskowitz in a recent Forbes profile.
- Simon Spurrell, who has been highly vocal about the issues for cheesemakers caused by Brexit, has sold his Cheshire Cheese Company to Joseph Heler Cheese. Found in 1957, Heler makes a range of traditional British cheeses including Cheshire, and has maintained a presence in the EU as a result of its distribution hub in the Netherlands. Spurrell said he lost £600k in sales due to Brexit.
- SIAL Paris, which took place Oct. 15-19, was a huge success, according to a press release. “The world’s first large-scale event to succeed in reaching its pre-pandemic level,” the trade show included 7k exhibitors from 127 countries and 265k attendees from more than 200 countries.
- A study published in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology found that different dairy products affect your health in different ways. Participants who consumed higher levels of milk and butter had a higher risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), while those who consumed high levels of cheese had lower rates of AMI.
- Cheese sales numbers remain strong despite an uncertain economy. Information Resources Inc. reported a 2.7 percent year-over-year increase in the natural cheese category.
Grants and Policy
- The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center has announced a new Dairy Farm Innovation & Alternative Management Grant to aid farmers and producers in implementing community- and climate-forward practices.
- The USDA announced $22.9 million in awards to help dairy businesses and producers under the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives (DBI) grant program.
- The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association is calling for Congressional action to expand opportunities for legal immigration that will support industry growth.
Josie Krogh
Josie Krogh is culture's Digital Strategy Lead. She earned her master's degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics from The University of Georgia. Josie developed a love of food while working at farmstands in the D.C. area as a young adult, and discovered her love of cheese while living and working on a dairy farm on Martha's Vineyard. Josie currently lives in Catskill, NY.
