No Blanket Prohibition on Wooden Shelves in Cheese Again, FDA Reiterates in Letter to Lawmaker

The Food and Drug Administration again denied charges that it aims to implement a ban on aging cheese on wood shelves, in a June 26 letter to Rep. Peter Welch, D-N.Y. The agency has backtracked in recent weeks on a pronouncement it made in January that asserted wood shelves do not comply with legal hygiene standards (see 14061118). Welch criticized the supposed ban on the use of wooden shelves, planning to tack on an amendment to House agriculture appropriations legislation to prohibit funds for enforcement of any ban. The House adjourned debate on the legislation on June 11 before Welch could file the amendment, and has not resumed consideration of the bill (see 14061220). “The focus in ensuring the safety of cheese should be on the overall hygienic practices and conditions in the cheesemaking facility and not on just one element, such as shelving,” said the letter, signed by FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine, Michael Taylor. “There is no requirement or prohibition in FDA’s regulations that specifically addresses wooden shelving.” The FDA issued a similar clarification on June 11 (see 14061219). The letter to Welch said equipment that contacts food must merely be “adequately cleanable” and “properly maintained.”