MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The federal government is watching the way cheese makers are aging their product. For years, producers put blocks of cheese on wooden boards to help the aging process. The FDA says wood can harbor health concerns.
Six-thousand pounds of cheese roll off the line every day at the Springside Cheese factory near Lena.
Springside Cheese VP Keith Hintz says for four generations, the company used wood to help age the cheese.
"I think there are some wonderful elements that aging cheese on wood provides," Hintz said.
But the FDA says storing food on wooden shelves can cause bacteria.
A cheese factory in New York State was recently cited.
An FDA spokesperson said in a statement: "Current regulations state that utensils and other surfaces that contact food must be 'adequately cleanable' and properly maintained."
Hintz says his factory switched to cardboard-covered shelves years ago.
"As a preventative measure in our facility, we weren't able to effectively clean our wood surfaces, so therefore we made a change so that we didn't raise an issue for our consumer," Hintz said.
The FDA says it doesn't have a policy against wooden shelves.
Hintz says he has seen this issue before.
"It's more of an enforcement of an existing rule or regulation, and they've backed off of their hard-line position for everyone to remove the wood-aging boards from their environment," Hintz said.
The agency spokesperson says: "The FDA is always open to evidence that shows that wood can be safely used for specific purposes, such as aging cheese."
Hintz says even though Springside no longer uses wood, the technique should continue.
"I think it's a wonderful aspect and would hope the FDA would reconsider so that those unique elements can continue," Hintz said.
The FDA says it will meet with cheese makers to try to figure out a solution to the issue. No timeline has been set.
The FDA on Wednesday, June 11th issued a statement in response to a letter from DATCP Secretary Ben Brancel regarding the long standing practice of cheese makers using wooden boards to age their product.
Working with Governor Scott Walker’s Office, the Secretary urged the FDA to review what appeared to be a change in food safety policy.