Self Study | Level 3 – Cheese Regulation and Good Practice 3 (Food & Health)

Diagnosis and understanding of allergies have increased considerably in recent years, and food producers and retailers need to be ever vigilant to prevent harm. The cheese industry is no exception. The first part of this module looks in detail and the mechanism of an allergy from trigger to reaction and discusses the difference between an allergen and an intolerance. This is set in the context of the cheese industry, looking at milk allergies and
intolerances, and other allergens commonly encountered by cheese consumers.

Whilst every business is different it is crucial to maintain best practice when handling allergens. This module will look at ways in which this can be approached as a  cheesemaker, in retail, and in hospitality.

Consumers need to be made aware of any foods that could potentially contain allergens. The way in which this is regulated is approached differently in differently territories. This section of the module looks in detail at the named allergens, and the legal limits in food required in the UK, EU, USA, Canada, Australia + New Zealand, and Japan.

We know and understand that cheese is great source of nutrients, but we may not know how we can prove that and in what way it is permissible to describe those benefits. This will be explored alongside a breakdown of different territories’ approaches to regulating health claims. This section also includes two case studies of potential health claims in dairy that may be less clear cut – A2 milk and probiotics.

The module ends with a brief consideration of some of the questions most frequently asked of cheese professionals regarding cheese and health. This section will give learners a framework to give accurate and nuanced information to their customers that they can apply to other, similar questions they may come across.