Bill Details
S.184 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-01-22 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Introduced Date
2025-01-22
Policy Area
Health
Committees
View committees (1)
Sponsors
Cosponsors
8
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would create a clear federal definition for “natural cheese” so consumers can better tell it apart from processed cheese products. It says natural cheese is cheese made from milk or similar dairy ingredients through traditional cheesemaking methods, and it can also include certain safe, non-milk ingredients allowed by federal cheese standards. The bill also says foods that are really process cheeses or other processed cheese products cannot be labeled as natural cheese. It would make this rule apply across the country so labels are used the same way everywhere.
- It adds a formal definition of natural cheese to federal food law.
- It lists products that are not natural cheese, including pasteurized process cheeses, cheese spreads, blended cheeses, cold pack cheeses, and similar products.
- It updates labeling rules so a food cannot use the words “natural cheese” unless it meets the new definition.
- It aims to give shoppers clearer, more consistent information on cheese labels nationwide.
Official Summaries
Codifying Useful Regulatory Definitions Act or the CURD Act
This bill establishes a statutory definition for natural cheese. Under the bill, natural cheese is defined as cheese (ripened or unripened soft, semi-soft, or hard) that is produced from animal milk or certain dairy ingredients and is produced in accordance with established cheese-making standards. The definition excludes pasteurized process cheeses, cheese foods, and cheese spreads.
A food that does not meet this definition is deemed misbranded and may not be sold if its label includes the term natural cheese as a factual descriptor of a category of cheese.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 184 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 184
To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to define the term
natural cheese.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 22, 2025
Mr. Johnson (for himself, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Risch, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Crapo,
and Mr. Sanders) introduced the following bill; which was read twice
and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to define the term
natural cheese.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Codifying Useful Regulatory
Definitions Act'' or the ``CURD Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds as follows:
(1) There is a need to define the term ``natural cheese''
in order to maintain transparency and consistency for consumers
so that they may differentiate ``natural cheese'' from
``process cheese''.
(2) The term ``natural cheese'' has been used within the
cheese making industry for more than 50 years and is well-
established.
SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF NATURAL CHEESE.
(a) Definition.--Section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(tt)(1) The term `natural cheese' means cheese that is a ripened
or unripened soft, semi-soft, or hard product, which may be coated,
that is produced--
``(A) by--
``(i) coagulating wholly or partly the protein of
milk, skimmed milk, partly skimmed milk, cream, whey
cream, or buttermilk, or any combination of such
ingredients, through the action of rennet or other
suitable coagulating agents, and by partially draining
the whey resulting from the coagulation, while
respecting the principle that cheese-making results in
a concentration of milk protein (in particular, the
casein portion), and that consequently, the protein
content of the cheese will be distinctly higher than
the protein level of the blend of the above milk
materials from which the cheese was made; or
``(ii) processing techniques involving coagulation
of the protein of milk or products obtained from milk
to produce an end-product with similar physical,
chemical, and organoleptic characteristics as the
product described in subclause (i); and
``(iii) including the addition of safe and suitable
non-milk derived ingredients of the type permitted in
the standards of identity described in clause (B) as
natural cheese; or
``(B) in accordance with standards of identity under part
133 of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor
regulations), other than the standards described in
subparagraph (2) or any future standards adopted by the
Secretary in accordance with subparagraph (2)(I).
``(2) Such term does not include--
``(A) pasteurized process cheeses as defined in section
133.169, 133.170, or 133.171 of title 21, Code of Federal
Regulations (or any successor regulations);
``(B) pasteurized process cheese foods as defined in
section 133.173 or 133.174 of title 21, Code of Federal
Regulations (or any successor regulations);
``(C) pasteurized cheese spreads as defined in section
133.175, 133.176, or 133.178 of title 21, Code of Federal
Regulations (or any successor regulations);
``(D) pasteurized process cheese spreads as defined in
section 133.179 or 133.180 of title 21, Code of Federal
Regulations (or any successor regulations);
``(E) pasteurized blended cheeses as defined in section
133.167 or 133.168 of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations (or
any successor regulations);
``(F) any products comparable to any product described in
any of clauses (A) through (E);
``(G) cold pack cheeses as defined in section 133.123,
133.124, or 133.125 title 21, Code of Federal Regulations (or
any successor regulations);
``(H) grated American cheese food as defined in section
133.147 of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations (or any
successor regulations); or
``(I) any other product the Secretary may designate as a
process cheese.
``(3) For purposes of this paragraph, the term `milk' has the
meaning given such term in section 133.3 of title 21, Code of Federal
Regulations (or any successor regulations) and includes the lacteal
secretions from animals other than cows.''.
(b) Labeling.--Section 403 of the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic
Act (21 U.S.C. 343) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(z) If its label or labeling includes the term `natural cheese'
as a factual descriptor of a category of cheese unless the food meets
the definition of natural cheese under section 201(tt), except that
nothing in this paragraph shall prohibit the use of the term `natural'
or `all-natural', or a similar claim or statement with respect to a
food in a manner that is consistent with regulations, guidance, or
policy statements issued by the Secretary.''.
(c) National Uniformity.--Section 403A(a)(2) of the Federal Food,
Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 343-1(a)(2)) is amended by striking
``or 403(x)'' and inserting ``403(x), or 403(z)''.
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